Shadows
by Lady-Ravenhawk
Summary: Trapped between the world of the living and the dead, Bulma's shadow haunts Vegeta as he searches desperately to find her. With his world turned upside down, his sanity in question by his friends, & time running short, Vegeta has no choice but turn to the one person who can help him summon the gods & ask for their aid before time runs out and Bulma is left in the darkness forever.
1. Chapter 1

Bulma sat on her husband, working the lavender scented oil as deeply as she could into his muscles. She paused on a particularly large knot and shook her head, tsking, "Really Vegeta, I thought you had gotten out of the habit of exploding things. Especially that new gravity room prototype you wanted. It's going to take me a while to fix it. Maybe a few days to calibrate it and make adjustments. I'm going to take a wild guess and say the new alloy didn't stand up to the computer simulations like we thought it would?" She paused and reached over to pour more oil into her hands before she went back to her task, "Or did you just miss me pulling you out of rubble?" She said with amusement in her voice.

Vegeta slowly shook his head without raising his face from the pillow. He knew exactly what she was referring to; the day he'd pushed himself too far and had blown up the gravity machine when he'd first come to earth after fighting Frieza on Namek. Today hadn't been much different; he'd pushed himself too hard, expecting more from the machine than it was capable of before it had even been tested properly. Oh well. It had been tested now. It failed.

A groan escaped his throat as his mate rubbed harder at his sore muscles. "Maybe if everyone in this house wasn't driving me nuts I wouldn't have all this frustration to take out on your machines," he muttered. He hadn't minded the idea of celebrating Dr. Brief's retirement, but as word got out, the party seemed to just keep getting bigger and bigger. What had started out as a nice dinner for friends and family was now a masquerade ball with half the city invited. And then they had decided to double up on the party and also make it a celebration of Goku's marriage to Tien and Sabriena. "You let those girls run away with this party idea," he accused, his voice still muffled by the pillow.

Bulma chuckled as she leaned over him, working her thumbs down his spine, using gravity to help her pop a few spots in his back where she knew he aggravated the muscles and bones. A few satisfying crunches later she sat back down and kept working on his spine for a moment, "You say that as if I had some measure of control in the first place. I never blinded myself with any illusions of that. You know how your daughters are when it's time to throw a party. First ones in line and the last ones to leave."

She twisted a little bit, reaching for the little tray of hot stones she had set aside and picked one up. She tested the temperature first, making sure it wouldn't be too hot before she started placing them in a line down his spine at tension points, "Besides, it's a masquerade, it's supposed to be fun. You can dress up like the Red Death and no one will bother you all night long. Well, except for me."

He gave a long groan as the heat from the stones seeped into his back. He raised his head slightly to make sure she could hear him. "First of all, they're YOUR daughters. I'm disowning them after all this mess. Second, no one will bother me whether I'm dressed up or not. And third, you'd better not wait until that late tonight to 'bother' me," he said with a smirky glance over his shoulder at her before he let his face fall back into the softness beneath him. He slowly trailed his tail up the inside of her thigh and had to suppress the urge to snicker when she gave a little jump as the tip of it teased her body. Even though he was bruised and sore, he just couldn't resist his mate, especially when he was already naked and she kept rubbing her hands all over him like that.

"Cheeky," she said playfully, "Well, maybe I will bother you later. Right now, you just lay still and I'll make sure this massage comes with a happy ending, yeah?" She shook her head and reached to grasp his tail, feeling for any kinks in the appendage, thought she suspected if there were, he would be in a horrible mood. She'd seen cats with their tails stepped on before and she had no wish to see the same response here.

A deep rumbling purr issued from Vegeta's chest as she ran her hand down his tail. His hips shifted on the bed as his length twitched at the promise of her words. He couldn't help but wonder what she had in mind for him. The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile and he peeked over his shoulder at her again. Gods, she was beautiful. "Fine," he answered, "I suppose I'll let you take care of your prince. But as soon as I stop hurting, I'm going to take out the rest of my aggression on you." He reached back and grabbed her ass, giving it a firm squeeze, and another groan wrenched from his throat as his cock firmed beneath him.

Bulma chuckled, "Oh, is that a promise?" She shook her head and carefully moved off of him to looked him over for any more obvious bruising or lumps, "I still don't understand how you ended up with half the roof on your back." She mutter and poked at a deeper cut on the side where he had missed getting impaled by an iron bar by mere centimeters. She slicked up her hands with more oil, turning herself to sit on him again, this time facing his legs and started working the oil into his legs, down his calves all the way to his feet.

"Dammit, woman," he hissed when she poked at him, but it quickly turned into a moan of appreciation as her cool hands worked the oil into his aching muscles. His tail curled up and fell back against the bed over and over, much the way a contented cat swishes its tail about. He finally rolled to his back, ignoring the smooth stones that slipped and fell to the bed, and crossed his arms behind his head to look at her. His eyes trailed up her delicious curves, lingering for a moment on her breasts before they came to rest on her full lips. He gave a devilish smirk and tensed his muscles, making his erection twitch before her. "You promised a full-body massage."

Bulma shook her head at him, "You are hopeless." She could see another cut on the same side as the other one. She sat back and drank in his form. His firm flesh, the taut nipples, "Promised? You needed it after your "Accident"" She motioned with her fingers in quotations. Still, she crawled over to him, trailing her hands up his chiseled abdomen, over his pecs. She finally leaned over and claimed his lips in a fierce kiss as she let her hand trail back down to curl around his erection, "Mmm, you've really been enjoying this. I should have known better with pain and pleasure."

Vegeta hissed at her touch and his back arched off the bed. "You know me too well," he groaned, lifting his hips to thrust into her hand. He cringed in pain and fell back against the bed again. "Damn," he growled in frustration. Nothing irritated him more than when his body wouldn't cooperate with him, when the pain tried to dictate what he could or could not do. He set his jaw with determination and lifted his hips again, but the deep cut on his back felt like it was ripping and he had to stop again.

Bulma frowned at him, "Too much pain this time though, huh?" She shook her head, "Guess you'd better keep your hips still." She purred as she slipped down his body to lay between his legs. She nuzzled at his hard length, kissing the base that was nestled in the soft patch of dark hair. He smelled amazing. Always of spice. She traced out a path of one of the veins that went all the way to the tip before she swallowed him down whole, cupping his soft orbs in her hand, and rolled them around in her fingers.

A cry of pleasure escaped the prince's lips as his mate descended on his flesh. Her mouth was hot and wet as she sucked at him, making his cock throb and ache for her. He let his hand rest on the back of her head, tangling his fingers into her soft hair. "Mmmm, oh gods… yessss… suck it," he rumbled, unable to keep his hips completely still. He carefully rocked up into her mouth as much as his wounds would allow. "You love pleasuring your prince, don't you?" he panted a mere second before he sucked air through clenched teeth at the feeling of her hand cupping his balls and rolling them expertly. "Oh, you know what you're doing, woman."

She pulled away from him with an obscene pop, licking her lips as she did, "You know I do." She winked at him and moved to straddle him, grasping his length and steadying it as she slide down over it, throwing her head back and moaning at the sensation of him filling her to the brim, "Mmm, let me ride you." She breathed as she moved over him, staring into his eyes as she braced most of her weight on her arms. She used the leverage to expertly slide over his hard cock, faster and faster without him even having to lift his sore body to meet her.

"Oh gods," Vegeta breathed as her tight heat engulfed him. His toes curled and his tail swished on the bed as he laid there, letting her have her way with him. He licked his lips as he stared at her full breasts hovering only inches above his face before he leaned up slightly and captured a firm nipple in his mouth. He moaned at the taste of her flesh against his tongue and sucked at her fiercely. "Ride me," he commanded softly, "Fuck me… nnnngh… harder… faster…" He buried his face into the valley between her breasts, breathing in the scent of her light perfume as the creamy swell of her breasts pressed against the sides of his face.

Bulma moaned, Vegeta's cock so perfectly suited for her, hitting that spot deep inside her that made her see stars with every thrust, "Gods yes Vegeta. You love this don't you. You love it when I ride you like this, worshiping you and your body. Gods, do you know how hot you make me?" She clenched down on him, squeezing him as she went faster and she cried out in pleasure, "Ohhh, can I come? Please!" She reached up carefully, not losing her momentum and pinched his nipple.

A sharp hiss issued through his teeth as she teased his sensitive flesh. "Yes!" he cried, ignoring the pain in his body and thrust up into her. The pain only intensified the moment, making his cock swell within her. "Come for me!" he ordered as his hair flashed to gold, his eyes turning seafoam green as his cock seemed to become even harder, bigger within her. "Come for your prince." His eyes rolled back in his head as her tight, slick body slammed down on his, his orgasm so tantalizingly close.

Bulma screamed her pleasure as he transformed while inside of her. Gods she loved it when he did that. She felt as if his body was going to split her in half. "YES, YES, YES!" she cried out as she came, "VEGETA!" She furiously worked her body over his cock, squeezing and keeping a tight grip on him, determined to milk every last drop from his body.

His name on her lips sent him over the edge, his cock exploding inside her, pumping his hot cum deeply into her body. He roared as he came, her body still sliding over him until he finally relaxed on the bed, completely and utterly spent. His chest heaved as he pulled her to lay on top of him, their bodies still connected, and he curled his tail affectionately around her waist. "Good gods, do you know what you do to me, woman?"

She smiled, still trying to catch her breath as she leaned her head down, kissing at his sweat covered skin, winking at him, "I think I have a pretty good idea." She said laying her head back down, "Why does this always happen when you get injured." She smirks, "Not that I'm complaining, but you can bother me when you aren't dripping blood and split open." She groaned and pushed herself up to sit on him, not yet wanting to part from him.

Vegeta chuckled at her, easily recalling the memory of their first time together. "At least you weren't bitching and nagging at me beforehand this time," he smirked. He rested his calloused hands on the fronts of her thighs, rubbing his thumbs over the impossibly smooth skin. "I believe I won that argument."

Bulma laughed and leaned over, looking into his dark eyes, a smile on her face, "You only think you win these arguments. We both know that I came out on top in this situation." She said smugly before she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, sighing against him. She was so content with him. Who would have ever guessed her other half would have come to her from half a galaxy away? Well, it was just like her too. She would never settle for anything less than the absolute best.

Another chuckle escaped his throat and he shook his head. "So this means I don't have to attend that party now, right?" he teased, knowing full well she would make him go anyway. It was important to her and he wasn't about to ignore her on her special night. Dr. Briefs was retiring and officially handing the company over to Bulma. She'd worked long and hard to prove to her father that she was more than capable of running the company he'd built and Vegeta knew how much this meant to her. Still, he couldn't help teasing her a bit; he loved aggravating her. She was so cute when she was mad. "I'll just stay up here and let you wait on me until I recover."

Bulma picked up on his teasing tone and played a long, "Oh sure! If you aren't well enough for a party then you aren't well enough for other nightly activities." She winked at him and lifted herself up with a moan as she felt some of his essence slip out and down her leg. She shivered at the feeling and laid down next to him, threading her fingers through his hair as she spied his wound had opened up again. She only chuckled at him, "Though, I promise to make it worth your while if you come down for a few hours. Or if you are going to stay up here, you have to kidnap me."

"Fine," he sighed and sat up a bit more in the bed. "Let me dress this and I'll attend your party," he said, reaching for the bandages on the bedside table. He frowned at the blood on the sheets and pressed the gauze to his back. "And no, I'm not taking one of those damn senzu beans. Save those for something important." He despised taking those things; they made him feel weak, like he couldn't tolerate a little pain. A glance at the clock on the wall told him they still had a few hours before guests would start arriving. He'd be plenty rested and feeling better by that time.

Bulma laughed, "I wouldn't even dream of slipping one into your food this evening dear. You know, someday you'll have to let me poke at you so I can figure out how those injuries keep making you stronger. It's really like you're a machine with a body that learns to adapt to the environment. Exposing yourself to the danger makes your body more tolerant of any future injuries of the same nature. It's fascin…" She cut off when she saw that look on her husband's face and she grinned, "Ah well, there you go again letting me get carried away."

He pressed his lips thin and shook his head slowly at her in a disapproving sort of way. "Honestly, woman, if I didn't know you cared, I'd worry that one day I would end up on one of your lab tables as some sort of science experiment," he muttered and set aside the tape, satisfied with the bandages. "If you want a lab rat, use Tora. Just bribe him with beer and those stupid movies he and Catherine enjoy so much. He won't argue a bit."

Bulma laughed, "Now there's an idea that has merit." She said, "But I think I'm growing to like him. He's not so bad. You should see him go through bacon. I've never seen anyone devour so many rashers in one sitting. Including Goku!" She threw her hands up and went to the closet, taking out the pressed tuc she had gotten for Vegeta and laid it out over their small couch, "I'm going to grab a quick shower, you rest up and don't sit on it!"

Vegeta finally stood and stretched, looking over at the fancy tux Bulma had laid out for him. "All right then," he sighed. He grabbed her hand as she turned to go to the shower and he pulled her back to him and captured her lips with his in a soft, passionate kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers, his dark eyes boring into her brilliant blue ones. "I'm proud of you, Bulma. You deserve this tonight," he said in a low voice and curled his tail around her waist for a moment. "I'm proud to have you as my mate."

Bulma turned back to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaned into him, pressing her forehead against his. Gods, it was as if she couldn't get enough of this man. Since he'd come back from the war, after Sabriena had been kidnapped, she felt more of an urge to spend more time with him, "I'm proud to be your mate as well, Vegeta." She said sincerely, reaching out and rubbing the mark on his neck. It had finally healed over after their anniversary. It made her feel warm and protected, it was almost like a renewal of the vows they had made, but this went much deeper than vows, or anything that words could ever hope to touch. "Mmm," she purred, "convince me to stay in bed with you."

Vegeta leaned into her touch for a moment before he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand down to rest over the brand on his chest. "I would," he said, "but you know they would come looking for us. I don't particularly feel like putting on a show tonight." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Now go on. I know how long you like to spend primping in the mirror before something like this," he smirked. "If you wait any longer, the party will have to be postponed."

She smiled at him. "Pfft. As if you don't like to watch me primp in front of the mirror." She winked, "You'll like my dress for this evening, no back." She turned and went into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack as she called out, "Too bad we couldn't make it a clothing optional orgy tonight, huh?"

Vegeta slapped a hand to his face and groaned. "Woman! Behave yourself or I WILL keep you locked up here all night long!" he threatened. He ran his hand down his face and tried to wipe away the amused smile that pulled there. He couldn't help wondering what dress she might have picked out. He should've known, she and the other women had spent so many hours pouring over magazines and discussing what they intended to wear, but honestly he'd had no interest in their constant jabbering and had instead snuck out of the house with Tora and Trunks to spar every time he caught wind of such talk. He let his wife pick out what he was to wear and hadn't thought anything more about it. But he trusted her; Bulma had impeccable taste and he knew that whatever she chose would be just fine. "Hurry up! I might have to 'bother' you one last time before this party starts."


	2. Stalling

Tien grinned at his handiwork, running his hand over the polished wood in his hands. Smooth as silk. He couldn't help the fact that he was always a little proud every time he made something, especially if it was a gift for someone special. He got up from the table, running his hand once more along the smooth curve of the bow, then picked up the new quiver full of arrows and headed outside. "Hey Goku, c'mere," he called, unable to stop the grin on his face. "I made something for ya."

Goku looked up from his place in the garden, his hands full of weeds, his face smeared with a random spots of mud. He peered over at Sabriena curiously, but she just shrugged. He grinned and hopped to his feet. Tien had made something for him? He wondered what it could be. "Coming!" he called as he tossed the weeds in the pile and brushed his hands off on his pants before he hurried off to the front of the cabin. He looked around expectantly, but only saw the new bow Tien had made.

"I've been promising to take you hunting," Tien said, feeling a bit of nervousness coil in his stomach. "But I realized I can't really do that if you don't have your own bow. I know that spare one you practice with isn't that great." He offered it over to Goku. "It's made of yew, just like mine. It's strong, there's no way you could break that unless it was intentional." He cleared his throat. "So, ah... what do you think?"

Goku's eyes lit up as he reached out and took the bow from Tiens hand, the wood felt like silk and Goku thought he had never felt anything so wonderful before. He held it so gently, not wanting to break it in anyway, though Sabriena and Tien were teaching him how it was okay to accidentally bend the dishes and cups sometimes. He was able to bend them back most of the time. He looked up at his lover nervously. "You really want me to have this? You want me to go hunting with you? I thought you said I was too noisy," he teased.

"You're getting better," Tien answered with a grin. He offered over the new quiver and arrows. "How are you going to learn if you don't get any practice? I thought maybe we could go hunting this afternoon."

Sabriena walked over, smiling brightly. "Oh Tien, it turned out beautifully," she crooned, pulling at his shoulder to bend him down, kissing his cheek. She turned to Goku, "You gonna go hunting with him? You can do it. I have faith in you."

Goku smiled widely at them both, his heart nearly bursting from the happiness. He caught them both up in a tight hug hand do twirled them around before setting them down and admiring the bow. "Can we go now? I mean, I know that it stormed last night and all, but can we?!"

Tien smiled and nodded. "Sure. Let me grab my bow and we'll go," he answered and turned to go back into the cabin.

"Now wait a minute," Sabriena protested. "You boys don't have time to go hunting. We need to get ready for the ball tonight. Which reminds me, I need to head out. I have to get my hair fixed and I have to pick up your tuxes and my dress."

Tien heaved a sigh and his shoulders slumped. "Do we REALLY have to go?"

"YES," Sabriena answered firmly. "It's important to Bulma and half the reason they're throwing this party is for us!"

Tien thought about it for a moment. "Oh, alright," he finally said. "But we've still got plenty of time to go hunting before we have to get ready. Don't worry, we won't be gone long." He threw a wink at Goku and hurried into the cabin to grab his own bow.

Sabriena turned to Goku and helped him adjust the quiver on his back. "Just do as he says. And bring back something good; I'll fix us a big meal tomorrow." She couldn't deny the fact that she was excited about this. She supposed it was because she loved to see her husbands spending time together, bonding in new ways. "Hey Tien, what are you guys hunting today?" she asked.

He paused in the doorway and answered, "Bear," before he went inside.

Goku chuckled at the look on Sabriena's face and went over to her, drawing her into his arms, hugging her small form tightly before he buried his nose into her hair, "Don't worry, we won't lead any back to the cabin!" He laughed and pulled back, "Besides, if we get a real big one, we're going to have a real big feast tomorrow!" He turned as Tien came back out of the cabin and he leaned down to give her a kiss, "We'll be back before you know it!"

"The only good bear is a dead one," she muttered. She sighed again, "Okay. Have fun. I'm heading to town. I'll see you when I get back."

Tien snickered at her and threw his arm around Goku's shoulders. "No, Dog," he scolded as the Great Dance bounded over to them, looking excited at the sight of the bow in Tien's hands. "Go back inside." Dog bowed his head and whined, then sulked back to the garden. "Goofy mutt. Now he's mad at us," Tien laughed. "We'll have to take him hunting soon."

He led the way into the woods, taking a steep trail up the side of the mountain towards the caves he knew the bears frequented. He fell silent as they walked, being mindful of his footsteps, a look of alert concentration on his features.

Goku concentrated carefully and paid extra attention to watch his feet to be absolutely certain he wasn't going to give them away. He looked up at Tien and pouted, how could a man that big be so quiet in the woods with all the sticks and branches. He held his side and came to a crouch next to him as they peered around a tree at a cave. Hopefully one with a bear in it.

Tien drew an arrow from his quiver and fitted it on the string of his bow. He wanted Goku to take the bear on his own, but just in case something went wrong, if Goku didn't hit it right or the animal was suffering, Tien wanted to be prepared to end it as soon as possible. And hopefully with very little damage to the pelt. He had plans for that already. He watched as the big black bear wandered out of her cave, sniffing at the air, a low growl rumbling from her throat. Damn. She'd smelled them already. He bumped Goku with his elbow as the bear stood on her hind legs, not seeing them yet, and gave another growl.

Goku watched in awe at the bear, a great big thing with a black coat and a white patch of fur on her chest. She was beautiful. He wondered if it was too vicious to kill a bear, but it was necessary. They needed the food and the pelt would be needed when winter came along. He carefully drew his bow, fumbling only once as he tried to be quiet, keeping himself still as possible, not even daring to breathe as he raised the bow and pulled back. He could tell this bow had some power behind it and he carefully took aim at the creatures heart. His own nearly stopped when the bear turned towards him and roared angrily, getting ready to charge and make them her dinner. He let his arrow fly the next second, watching as it thudded into the bear's chest.

It couldn't have been a better shot. The bear gave another vicious roar as the arrow pierced her chest and dropped her front paws to the ground, looking like she was prepared to charge, but the next second her step faltered and she slumped to the ground.

Tien beamed at his mate as he stood up. "That was perfect, Goku," he said. He crept closer, making sure the animal didn't get back up. "Sabriena's going to be excited." He looked back over his shoulder. "I'm proud of you. Good job."

Goku couldn't stop the wide grin that appeared on his face and he moved closer so he could kneel down to look at the bear. "I hope she didn't suffer too much."

"She didn't suffer, Goku," Tien assured him. "And it's late enough in the season that any offspring she might have had will be just fine on their own now."

Goku patted the fur, closing his eyes and said a small thank you for her gift to them. He could still feel its warmth in the soft fur. His stomach grumbled at the thought of bear steaks later, "Man! I can't wait to see what Sabriena cooks up with this guy! Too bad we can't skip our own wedding reception," he laughed and then stopped suddenly as he looked around as he heard something. "Did you hear that Tien?"

Tien went quiet, listening carefully. He could hear a high-pitched squawking somewhere nearby. It sounded frightened and sad. He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to identify the sound. "What is that?"

Goku shook his head and looked around, hearing the noise again. That decided it, he was up on his feet the next moment and carefully tried to pick his way towards that noise, heading off in that direction. It didn't take them long to find the mess of broken twigs and what used to be a nest at the base of a tree. The squawking noise got louder as they walked up to it. Goku blinked down at the ground, not sure what he was seeing until it squeaked at him. He now saw the sopping wet baby bird hunched down in the he mess of twigs, "Uh oh!" He knelt down, looking at the thing, "Well hey there little guy, where's your momma?"

Tien frowned, looking down at the baby falcon. His eyes searched the sky, looking for some sign of a mother bird. The sky remained perfectly clear. There was no sound of the mother falcon. He shook his head. The storm had been bad the night before; bad enough that it made Sabriena nervous again, even though she was hunkered down in bed between both of them with the blankets pulled over her head. Who knew what had happened to the mother? This bird was far too young to survive on its own. "I don't think it has a mother anymore, Goku," Tien said. "If it did, she would have attacked us by now for being so close to her baby."

Goku looked down at the sad little bird. He was shivering terribly and looked miserable, "How terrible! We can't just leave him out here!" He reached down, hesitating when the little bird puffed up at him, opening his mouth with a hiss, "Hey now. I'm not going to hurt you little guy. I'm going to take you back home, get you warm, maybe some food."

Tien closed his eyes and shook his head. He should've known better. "You and Sabriena are going to turn our home into a zoo before this is all said and done," he teased, thinking of the goats he promised Sabriena. "Be careful, he's probably got a sharp beak on him already." He sighed and looked at the pitiful, sopping-wet ball of fuzz. "All right. Take him on home. I'll dress the bear and bring it down when I'm done. Go on."

Goku chuckled and moved again to pick up the bird and tucked it into his shirt, "Oh no! You are freezing little guy!" He glanced at Tien with a sheepish look on his face, "Do you need any help? I can wait, maybe this little guy would like some scraps..."

"I'll save him some," Tien promised. "You take him back to the cabin. Get him dried off and warmed up. I won't be long." He shook his head again and snickered as he headed back to take care of the bear. "You're turning me soft, you know that? Taking in falcons..." He couldn't even pretend to be mad. That was just Goku, always rescuing someone, even if it was just a pitiful little bird in the forest.

Goku only smiled wider and leaned in, kissing Tien's cheek quickly before he smiled again and lifted into the air. He lifted his arm, calling back out to Tien before he turned to go back to the cabin, "I love you!" He went down the mountain then, taking care to hold his new little bundle carefully, "We will get you all dried up and I promise to make sure Dog knows that you aren't his new toy!"

* * *

It took Sabriena forever it seemed to pick out a mask for Goku. The flight back seemed to take even longer. She'd flown on her own into town, but she wasn't about to risk messing up her hair or the clothes on her return journey. She landed her car in the yard and grabbed up the garment bags from the back seat before she capsulated it. She sighed in relief when she finally headed towards the cabin. She missed being away from her mates, even if it was just for a few hours. She could feel Goku's and Tien's energies inside and she smiled as she trotted up the steps.

"I got everything, FINALLY," she called as she entered the house. She paused when she saw Goku.

Goku had built a roaring fire in the fireplace, despite the fact that it was the middle of summer and he cradled something to his chest as he sat on the floor before it. He looked up and smiled at his wife as she entered the house. "Come meet my new friend! I'm trying to get him warm!"

Sabriena cocked an eyebrow and walked over to him. "I thought you were going hunting, not bringing home - WHAT IS THAT?" She wrinkled her nose at the ugly little creature cradled in Goku's hands. "It looks like a drowned rat!" Dog bounded into the house, looking excited that Sabriena was back, and tried to jump on her. "Dog, get down!" Sabriena scolded. She moved around, peering at Goku's hands from every possible angle. "That thing is ugly and sad looking," she commented.

Goku shook his head and pouted as he looked down at the little falcon. "You're not ugly, you are just a little baby! I'll be you look real handsome when your feathers grow in!" he said to the little guy before he set the little thing down in front of him near the fire. "Don't get too close now!"

The little bird shivered in the warmth of the fireplace, looking rather weak and disheveled. Dog lowered his body to the floor and edged closer, peering at the strange new creature who had entered their home. He gave a low, disapproving, "Mphh," and looked at Goku as if to say, "Really?"

Goku chuckled at Dog, "Don't worry boy, we will probably drive him nuts and he will be gone by the time he learns to fly." He scratched behind dogs ears. "Or are you still upset that Tien didn't let you come with us?"

Sabriena looked between her husbands, both of them still dirty from their hunt, their clothes wet from the damp forest and their boots muddy. Her shoulders slumped and she went to the bed to lay down the garment bags. "Guuuuuuys," she whined. "You were supposed to get cleaned up before I got back!"

Tien only looked slightly guilty. "Ah, sorry about that," he muttered. He looked up at her and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked with her hair in a fancy updo. Her blonde locks were swirled around her head and formed a sort of rose at the base of her skull. "You look stunning," he smiled.

"Thank you," she answered. "Sucking up isn't going to get you out of trouble, but thank you." She gave Goku another disapproving look as he scooped the little falcon up in his hands again and rubbed at it with his already wet shirt. She sighed and shook her head at him.

"What?" he asked, blinking innocently up at her.

"Goku," she drawled.

"But… but… LOOK AT HIM," he said, holding the tiny wet ball of fluff out to her. The little falcon gave a weak chirp as if to emphasize how pitiful he was.

"Oh fiiiiiiine," she huffed and grabbed a towel before she plopped herself down next to Goku. She carefully took the falcon in her hands and started rubbing at his fluff with a warm hand-towel.

He looked over at Sabriena, his heart warming as he watched her carefully take care of the he little falcon.

"There!" Sabriena proclaimed after a few minutes and held the bird out in the palm of her hand, his fluff looking much drier. "Here, you hold him warm," she said and handed the falcon back to Goku. She turned to Tien, "You! In the shower, now! Oh! I almost forgot, did you guys have any luck on your hunt?"

Goku took the ball of fluff and smiled widely at her. "Oh yeah! We got a really big bear! She was huge!" He reached up and kissed Sabriena soundly. "You should have seen it! Only took me one shot!" He felt like preening, he hadn't been very good on the last hunt they went on. He was just glad that he hadn't botched it up this time. The little falcon nuzzled against Goku's chest, his tiny eyes drooping. Dog snorted again, but crawled closer and laid his head in Goku's lap.

She gave him a huge smile and kissed him again. "Awesome! See? I knew you could do it!" She looked over at Tien who was still sitting in his chair. "TIEN!"

"What?" he groaned but pushed himself to stand. "Alright, alright. I'm going." He paused to look at the bed. "Uh, what exactly do you have in there? That thing is huge."

"It's my dress," she said proudly and stuck her nose in the air. "And you don't get to see it until you're clean and in your tux." She paused and looked at Goku before he could speak, "And yes, I got you a black tux just like you asked. Come check it out!" She grinned and unzipped the garment bags containing their suits. "I swear, Goku, you're hard to shop for. Took me forever to pick out your mask."

Goku laughed and peered over her shoulder at the bed as he hugged her tightly, looking down at the pristine suits and the masks that went with them. "Oh wow!" He reached out and picked up a delicate mask. It was dark purple with black glitter swirls and the right side was shaped into a large butterfly wing of stiff, intricate black and purple lace. "This is beautiful!" He blinked and set the lacy thing back down. "Why am I hard to shop for?"

"Because I didn't know which mask you would like," she sighed. "It's hard to pick something to cover up those handsome faces."

Tien chuckled and picked up the phantom of the opera type mask she'd picked for him, black, simple. "This is all right," he grinned. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. "So, ah, what are you wearing?" he asked curiously.

"Neither of you get to find out until you shower!" she answered firmly.

"Fine," Tien said, taking the falcon out of Goku's hands and giving it to Sabriena. "You hold the bird. We'll shower." He threw his arm around Goku's shoulders and walked him towards the door.

Goku smiled widely and waved a hand back at her, "Be sure to keep the little guy warm!"

"But… I… HEY!" she cried after them, blinking down at the fluffy little thing in her hands. "NOT FAIR!"

Tien chuckled and looked over his shoulder at her as he made a show of sliding his hand down to grab Goku's ass and shut the door behind them. He couldn't help but snicker at the look on her face. "She's going to kill us in our sleep one of these days," he mused. He stopped outside the shower and peeled off his clothes before he opened the wooden door and turned on the hot water. A groan escaped his lips as he stepped into the stream and let it wash over his body. "Ah, man, that feels good."

Goku watched Tien a moment, licking his lips as he watched the water flow down over his muscles. He stripped himself down as well and slipped into the shower with him, sliding his hands around the other mans slick waist. He grabbed up the soap and lathered his hands up before he started washing the hard plains of his stomach. "Thanks for this afternoon, Tien, " he said as he leaned forward and pressed a hot kiss to his neck.

Tien tipped his face towards the open sky overhead, letting the hot water cascade over them both as a soft moan escaped his lips. He slid his fingers into the silky spikes of Goku's dark hair and pulled him closer to nip at his ear. "I had fun," he answered in a low voice. He let one of his hands drift down Goku's back, his fingertips trailing along his spine until he found the sensitive scar in the small of his husband's back. Ever so lightly, he traced his fingers around it, smirking when he felt Goku shiver. "I think we can squeeze in a little more fun before we have to get ready for this party, though."

The Saiyan eagerly nodded his head, Tien's fingers working a moan out of his throat as he pressed into his tail scar, "Mmmmn, yes. Please?" He fell to his knees and nuzzled Tien's hardening flesh, breathing in the scent of pine, wood smoke and fresh water. He swallowed down over his length, moaning loudly.

Tien hissed in pleasure, his jaw falling open as he looked down at Goku. "Oh gods," he gasped as his thick length firmed in Goku's hot mouth. The sound of the cabin door slamming drew his attention and he looked up to see Sabriena standing there, a look of longing in her eyes as she watched her husbands. Tien smirked and threw her a wink as he gently thrust into Goku's mouth a few times before he reached down and pulled the Saiyan up by his arms. "It seems we have an audience," he said, grabbing the soap and slicking up his cock. "Let's give her a good show." He hooked his arm under one of Goku's knees and lifted his leg to pin him against the shower wall, rubbing the head of his erection against the other man's backside.

Goku threw his head back, looking over at Sabriena, moaning loudly as Tien's hot, hard cock pushed up into him, spearing past the tight ring of muscle. "You should, ngh... join us," he moaned before he turned his head back to his husband, gasping out, "Gods you are so deep inside me." He moaned, reaching to his lower abdomen, feeling the large cock within him. He let out a whimper and leaned forward, latching his mouth around the mark on Tien's neck and sucked at it. Gods, he loved it, he loved having mates that truly understood him.

Sabriena licked her lips as she watched her husbands together in the shower. They were pure muscle and raw power as the hot water trickled over their bodies. Her core throbbed and she started forward to join them, but paused when she remembered how long it had taken to have her hair fixed for the party that night. "Guys!" she whined. "Not fair." She pouted her lips and crossed her arms like a spoiled child for a moment before she decided to just sit back and enjoy the show.

Tien groaned as Goku sucked at the mark on his neck. Hot jolts of pleasure shot through his body and he drove himself harder into Goku, marveling at how impossibly tight his body was. "So good," he breathed heavily and reached one-handed for the soap to lather Goku's cock. He wrapped his strong hand around it and stroked it in time with his thrusts before he latched onto the mating mark on the Saiyan's neck.

Goku gave a shout as Tien's hand curled around his rock hard cock and his hot mouth sealed around his mark. The mark was what got him, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be touched there, to have his mate pleasure him that way. Molten hot jolts of pleasure raced from that spot down to his length and a steady stream of precum dribbled forth over Tien's grasp, "Tien, please! I'm gonna… gonna come!" With a shout, his vision went white and he thrust up into that talented hand, writhing in Tien's embrace as he came.

Tien came the next moment, his husband's tight body clenching down on him, crying out his name. He pounded his cock deeper and faster into him, keeping Goku pinned against the wooden shower wall, rattling the structure from the impact. "OH - GODS - YES!" he cried, punctuating every word with a thrust before he gave one final pump of his hips and stilled, pressing himself deeply into Goku as his cock unleashed a torrent of hot cum. "Oh gods," he said weakly and let Goku's leg drop back to the ground, still leaning heavily against the shorter man.

"Now that was sexy," Sabriena stated. She smiled when Goku gave her a grin and a wink, both men still breathing heavily from their exertions. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tien held up a hand to silence her before the words came out.

"Yes, we will take care of you as soon as we get home from the party. You should know that. You don't have to ask," he said in an exhausted yet warm tone. He turned his face and gave her a loving smile before he pulled out of Goku's body. "You know we're not complete without you."

He grabbed the soap once more and turned towards the showerhead to wash up. "Go put that dress on, girl," he called over his shoulder. "Cause I can't wait to get you out of it later."


	3. Masquerade

"It's about time they got here," Vegeta remarked when he felt Goku's, Tien's, and Sabriena's energies appear at Capsule Corp. The party was already in full swing in the banquet hall and was packed full of guests in full formal dress. Everyone seemed to embrace the masquerade theme wholeheartedly with their big fancy gowns, neatly pressed tuxedos, and elaborate masks. The wait staff wound their way through the crowd with platters of hors d'oeuvres and flutes of champagne as guests danced or admired the lavish decorations. Bulma had spared no expense for this party.

"Good grief," Tien muttered as he looked around and adjusted the mask over his eyes. "I didn't realize it was going to be this big of a deal." He didn't recognize anyone, and that wasn't just because of the masks they wore. "Did Bulma invite the entire city?"

Goku chuckled and helped himself to three flutes of champagne and handed on to his mates, "Well, Capsule Corp is a big worldwide corporation. It's a big deal, I guess, for Mr. Briefs to give his company to Bulma completely." He sipped at the sweet liquid and decided he liked it and took another. He glanced around, Piccolo was easy enough to spot, but everyone else he was having trouble telling apart.

A flash of blue caught his eye and he spotted Bulma and Vegeta making their way around the dance hall, greeting people and making with the small talk. Goku smiled at Vegeta when he and Bulma got close enough to them, "Wow, talk about some party! We didn't know there would be so many people! You can hardly make a thought!" He looked at his childhood friend and leaned down to give her a hug, "Congratulations by the way. No one deserves this more than you do."

Bulma smiled at him brightly, hugging him back before she pulled away and smiled at Tien and Sabriena, "Glad you newlyweds could make it out here." She said with a warmth in her voice, "You all really look stunning." She winked at Sabriena, "You have taste almost as good as mine."

Sabriena grinned brightly. "That's why we always get along!" she laughed and Tien rolled his eyes. "Had to really twist his arm to get him to come, though," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at Tien. "Mr. Antisocial."

"Stop," Tien scolded. He smiled at Bulma and congratulated her as well before he looked around, trying to find a less-busy area of the room where he could just sit back and observe, stay out of the rush of things. He spotted Piccolo as well and decided that might be his best bet. Anything to prevent Sabriena and Goku from dragging him on the dancefloor. "Come on," he said to his mates, "let's go see if we can find anyone else we know."

They made it about halfway across the room when a voice cried, "Oh! There they are!" and Lindsey hurried over to them, tugging Gohan with her. The skirt of her dress was nearly as big as Sabriena's, but where Sabriena's was made of black and purple ruffles, Lindsey had chosen a golden orange dress and mask that contrasted strangely with her hair.

"You look like you're on fire," Sabriena teased.

"Hush it, Subbie," the redhead teased back. "I thought it was appropriate." She turned her attention on Goku and gave him a big smile. "You know, you promised me a father daughter dance sometime. Think I can steal you away sometime tonight?"

Goku smiled at her warmly and looked at his two mates before he stepped forward and offered her his hand, "I think they'll let you steal me now. Quick! Before they change their minds!" He said in a loud whisper and lead her out onto the dance floor with all of the other swirling couples. He remembered their dance lessons and what Lindsey had taught him. He felt a swell a pride that they were doing some good now, "It's really good that you taught me how to dance you know."

She grinned brightly at him. "I had an ulterior motive all along. I just wanted this father daughter dance," she joked. It still amused her how easily he had picked up on it, but then again, it shouldn't have surprised her. She remembered her first lesson in martial arts training when Gohan had told her it was more like a dance than anything. It only made sense that this came easily to Goku.

Tien chuckled and shook his head at them for a moment before he took Sabriena's hand and made his way over to Piccolo and Jenny. "Some party, huh?" he asked, moving to lean against the wall next to Piccolo. Leave it to the Namek to find the only semi-darkened corner of the room where he didn't feel like he was being smothered by the other guests.

Piccolo snorted, his mask mostly silver with a touch of blue on the edges, his fierce eyes gazing out and keeping a careful watch on things, "Leave it to Bulma to throw the wild, extravagant parties where we have to play dress up for our wives."

Jenny playfully smacked his arm. She had chosen a more simplistic dress that was black, scattered around it were little blue flowers that looked as if someone had splashed them on with a bucket. Her own mask was a deep blue. "Ah, it's good to get out and be social. Thank goodness Bulma sequestered the kids off somewhere else around here. I think Mrs. Briefs is looking after them. I hope she knows what she's gotten herself into."

Sabriena raised an eyebrow at Jenny. "ALL the kids? She's a braver woman than I am."

Piccolo looked Tien up and down and gave a shrug, "Well, seems like she didn't dress you up too badly."

Tien chuckled and looked down at his suit. "Yeah, she did alright, I suppose." He lowered his voice, "Still don't care much for it, though. How long do you think we have to stay here before we can sneak out?" He was already looking for the exits, wondering how conspicuous it would be if he tried to sneak out of his own wedding reception. "We could go spar. I don't care if this silly thing gets torn up."

Piccolo had to hold back a gruff laugh, "You might not care, but I was threatened within an inch of my life if this thing gets so much as a thread out of place. Though sneaking out of here is tempting. You know I hate these things. No offense; just not big on this social scene. Especially when I don't recognize anyone here."

Jenny laughed at that, "Besides, Bulma or worse, my dad would have your head if you cut out on this. Bulma's really excited about this and she's put a lot of work into it. He won't let it go to waste. Besides, the tux looks good on you. Stay for a few hours at least. It won't be so bad."

Sabriena blinked curiously between Piccolo and Jenny. "So that's how you train a husband, huh? Just threaten him? Here I kept going for the puppy dog look, but mine pales in comparison to Goku's, so it doesn't work." She smirked up at Tien, "You hear that? I'll have to take a page out of Jenny's book if you try to sneak out."

Tien gave her a bored stare before he looked over at Jenny. "Thanks," he muttered sarcastically. He closed his eyes and chuckled. "How'd we ever get ourselves into this mess, Piccolo?"

The song changed and Lindsey reappeared, pulling Goku with her. "I return your husband in one piece," she announced before she turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, Dad. That was fun."

Goku smiled and kissed her cheek back, pulling her into a tight hug against him, sighing happily. How quickly things had finally turned out right. He had the two best mates he could ever ask for and a family that loved him for who he was. "We'll have to do it again sometime. There's no way that can be a one time thing!" He looked back up at Sabriena and Tien, putting on his puppy dog look. "You guys wanna dance?"

Tien shook his head, trying not to meet Goku's eyes, but Sabriena grinned brightly. "Hell yes!" she cried and took her husband's hand. "We'll give him a minute to adjust to the surroundings here. You know how he is. We can pull him out on the dance floor in a little bit," she said, not bothering to lower her voice. She turned and fixed Tien with a stare. "And, yes, you ARE going to dance with both of us at some point tonight."

Piccolo laughed and gave Tien a grin. "Don't look at me, you're the one who decided to get married twice in less than a year. And one of them is Goku. You can try to avoid it, but you know he isn't going to give up." He shook his head.

"I know," Tien groaned and watched Sabriena and Goku hurry out onto the dancefloor.

Jenny chuckled and looked out as Goku danced with Sabriena, his new mating mark showing just barely under the collar of his suit and she couldn't remember a time when the man had looked happier. "It's good to see him happy for once. After everything that happened to him, he deserves this." Her grin got bigger as she saw Bulma had managed to get Vegeta to take her out onto the dance floor, her dress swirling around her as her dad spun her mom around. He looked so focused, so serious, but she knew that he was content under that mask.

Vegeta gave Bulma a small smile as he expertly led her around the dancefloor. "So are you happy now?" he asked in a low voice. He trailed his hand down the smooth skin of her back; she was right. He loved the way the open-backed dress clung to her figure. She looked nothing short of stunning that night. He pulled her a little closer, swaying her to the music. "Is this everything you hoped?"

Bulma smiled warmly and nodded, leaning her head down on his shoulder and breathed him in deep. Gods, there was nothing like being held in his arms while he danced around with her like this, "It's perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better night. Though, between you and me. I think next time I'll just stick to something smaller, like just you and me, the hot tub, a glass of wine and music from the stereo instead of the band. That sounds like heaven."

A small smile pulled at the corner of Vegeta's lips and he nodded. "Sounds much better," he answered. Despite the dancers that surrounded them, a flash of instantly recognizable hair caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes at Goku as he danced with his wife. "Show off," he muttered as Goku dipped Sabriena. The prince was not to be outdone. He gave Bulma a rather flashy spin and pulled her back to him, smirking again as his eyes met Goku's.

Goku had been in his own little world with Sabriena, his mate, just listening to the music and dancing with her while they discussed ideas to entice Tien out onto the dancefloor. He couldn't help but notice when Vegeta spun Bulma around, her sparkling dress glittering brilliantly in the lights. His eyes locked with the Saiyan Prince's for a moment. Goku knew a challenge when he saw one, but nervousness gnawed on him from the inside out. He was still learning, had a lot to learn about dancing. Aside from the dip, he wasn't sure what he could do to one up Vegeta.

Sabriena's eyes widened a fraction when she noticed the distracted look on Goku's face and the way his step faltered for a second. "What is it, babe?" she asked and followed his gaze to Bulma and Vegeta. "Oh dear gods," she muttered as the realization hit her. She gave a soft snort of amusement and looked back to her husband as the music changed to a spicy Latin number. "Just follow my lead and go with it," she winked. "We're not gonna let him steal the spotlight."

Goku turned back to her and smiled, letting her take the lead. "But Sabriena, you guys are always my focus, in my spotlight," he said in an almost dreamy voice. He began to forget about the little dance off taking place and just let himself get lost in the sharp movements of the dance, the way their hands entwined and how he dipped her back or spun her out only to have her twirl back into his arms.

Tien couldn't help but notice as the crowd parted, giving the two dancing couples a wide berth and he slapped a hand to his face with a groan. Leave it to Vegeta and Goku to take every opportunity to turn ANYTHING into a competition. He peeked out from behind his fingers and snickered. Goku and Sabriena looked like they were having the time of their lives as Sabriena rolled her hips and shimmied, Goku's movements a bit random but confident. He shook his head slowly as his attention turned to Bulma and Vegeta. She had a big grin on her face as they danced; Vegeta's steps looked far more rehearsed than Goku's, his face was deep in concentration as he moved, and Tien thought he could seriously live the rest of his life without ever seeing the Saiyan prince move his hips like that again.

Tora watched with amusement and cheered both couples on. He was having the time of his life at this party. It was nice to blend into the crowd for once. Well, as much as a man his size could. But he escaped the somewhat distrustful looks he still got from Vegeta's friends and the curious stares strangers would give his tail since he had it tucked under his tuxedo jacket that evening. His attention was drawn by a slender blonde standing nearby who had called out encouragement to Goku and he blinked as he recognized Android Eighteen.

He couldn't help but lick his lips as he looked at her, his mouth running dry. She was a vision in that mermaid style gown of brilliant blue that matched her eyes and hugged her slender frame in a delicious way. The elegant beading across the bodice drew his attention to the bit of cleavage above it. Not too much, but just enough to be enticing. He cursed his Saiyan nature as his groin tightened and he used every ounce of willpower he had to subdue himself.

He knew she still hated him for the part his crew had played in the war. It was his comrades that had killed her husband in battle and she held him accountable for it. But he'd made a vow to Krillin's memory that he would look after her and her daughter as much as he possibly could. Perhaps with the pleasant air of festivity all around them, she might open up just a bit to him.

He adjusted the mask over his eyes a bit and smoothed the front of his jacket before he edged closer to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked in his warm voice.

Eighteen almost had to do a double take when the large Saiyan approached her, wearing a simple domino mask and pressed tux. Her good mood at seeing the dance "competition" between Goku and Vegeta was whisked away in a second and she coldly looked at him. Her daughter didn't know any better and always managed to find him when she brought her over for a playdate and many times she had caught Marron laughing and swinging from his arm as if he were her personal play set. "No thank you," she said so coldly, her voice could have conjured icicles.

Tora wasn't discouraged. "Well, we can wait for a better song," he chuckled and glanced again at the other two Saiyans who were progressively dancing faster, their moves becoming more elaborate as each tried to outdo the other. "I promise I won't shake my ass like that," he joked. But even as he said it, he could see the cold resolve in her eyes to hate him. He kept his face pleasant, even though he felt his heart sink a little bit. Why did this bother him so? He supposed it was because for the first time, he'd seen the impact of the actions of his fellow Saiyans, of himself, and how it affected those left behind.

Eighteen had to grit her teeth together to keep herself from lashing out at him and making a scene. Though his words were light and joking, they only made her angrier. "No. I don't think I could stand to have your hands touching me, she whispered bitterly at him, her mind still loyal to Krillin, thinking of him there at the masquerade. He would dance with her, but he would hover above the ground so their heights were even. She closed her eyes as she remembered him, he would smell of coconut and warm sand. Her eyesight grew blurry and she pushed past Tora, "Excuse me." As she made a beeline for the nearest bathroom.

Tora's shoulder slumped slightly as she walked away, her words stinging more than he would ever admit aloud, but the next moment his attention was drawn away by Trunks loudly announcing a toast to his mother for her new position at Capsule Corp. The dance had ended and Bulma and Vegeta had gone to the head table as Trunks gave a short speech.

Though he tried to pay attention, his mind kept drifting back to Eighteen and the way her blue eyes had teared up a split second before she rushed away from him. Perhaps it was better to give her the space she needed and just keep a protective eye over little Marron whenever she was around. He snatched a flute of champagne from a passing waiter as Trunks led a second toast to Goku, Sabriena, and Tien and downed the drink in one. The music started back up and he finally pushed the thought of Eighteen from his mind when he saw Goku and his mates walking his direction, talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, I never got to properly tell you congratulations," he said to Goku.

Goku smiled brightly at Tora and clapped a hand to his shoulder, "Thanks, I appreciate everything you did for us, you know, during that whole incident. Lindsey told me what she and the girls had done and I was glad to hear you were out there protecting them while they did their thing." He slipped his arm around Sabriena's shoulders. "You should come out to the cabin some time, I don't think you've tasted her cooking yet! Though, if you did, you might try and steal her away," he said jokingly.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his attention to the tiny blonde. "You're a good cook, huh?"

She beamed brightly. "You think he would marry anyone less than the best?" she countered.

Tora chuckled. "All right then. I'd be honored to have dinner with you." He paused and looked at Tien, "You know, if you're sure that's alright." He hadn't spent much time around Goku's mates and from what he remembered, Tien had a bit of a temper. Of course, the man was under great stress at the time. Perhaps now that their wife was back, he would be a bit more approachable. He didn't want to cause any problems if he wasn't welcome in their home by all three of them.

Tien gave a nod. "Sure, that would be fine. I appreciate what you did, too," he added.

"Ah," Tora said with a shrug. "I mostly just watched. It was nothing."

Goku shook his head, "Believe me, it wasn't nothing. If something had gone wrong, I know you would have done whatever you could to make it right." He said firmly, "So keep trying, people are going to warm up to you eventually, they will see that you aren't the same person anymore."

Tora felt a surge of appreciation for Goku's words. "I hope you're right, Kakarot," he said. "And if they don't, well, at least you and Catie can tolerate me." He gave a chuckle and looked back at the dancefloor. Bulma had pulled Vegeta out there to dance again. "Smooth moves, by the way," he teased.

"Oh! That reminds me," Sabriena said, turning to Tien. "You still owe me and Goku each a dance!"

Tien sighed heavily. "I… but…" he stammered and cringed when he saw Goku getting ready to pull that puppy dog face again. "Oh, alright. FINE."

Goku chuckled, "Come on, they've made the speech, one dance and we can get out of here." He grinned down at Sabriena, as they made their way out onto the dance floor and it suddenly struck him that he didn't know how to dance with two other people at once. He shrugged to himself and wrapped an arm around each of them and slowly swayed to the music with them. He was content with this life and it warmed him better than any fire to have mates that wouldn't turn down the idea of dancing.

Bulma looked around from the spot at the table, seeing the first couple of guests leave. Figures, give a speech and people think it's over. She shook her head; just as well, she had plans for the rest of her night. The new CEO looked around the room, spying Tien out on the dance floor, Goku and Sabriena dancing with him. She couldn't help but smile widely at that. It was good to see them all loosen up and enjoy the night. Goodness knows they had earned it She cast a glance at her prince and wrapped an arm around his waist, kissing his cheek gently. "I'll be right back," she purred to him, "Hopefully soon we can slip away and we can see about that treat you've earned for being so amazing this evening."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow at her with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Oh really?" he asked. "Sounds good to me." He grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her soft skin. "Don't be gone long," he said and watched as she made her way through the crowd. He couldn't help but to wonder what this treat was going to be, but knowing Bulma, it would be well worth the wait to find out.

He sat back in his seat, an amused snort issuing through his nose as he watched the three dancing in the middle of the dancefloor. Well, at least Kakarot had finally embraced that part of himself. He sipped at the champagne as he watched the other guests. He waited patiently for Bulma to come back, but the minutes ticked by without so much as a glimpse of his wife. 'What is taking her so long?' he thought to himself. But then he thought of his 'treat' once more and he smirked to himself. Whatever she was planning must've been good if it was taking this long.

He watched as the party died down, the guests leaving, only a few of their closest friends staying behind. He gave a nod to Goku as the other Saiyan waved goodbye and vanished from sight with his mates. Jenny and Piccolo had picked up their girls, both of whom were sleeping in their parents' arms and they headed out soon after.

"I'm going up to bed," he announced to Catie and Trunks. "You haven't seen your mother in the past hour or so, have you?" He frowned when they shook their heads. His mind drifted upstairs to the bedroom, wondering what on earth that woman had planned. He suddenly pictured her in new, racy lingerie or perhaps with a new toy she might've picked up from that adult store she sometimes went to. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he headed in the direction of their room. "All right, woman," he said in a low voice. "Let's see if this treat is as good as you promised."


	4. Not Like Her

Vegeta could smell the scent of the candles before he even opened the door to the bedroom. He paused just outside the closed door and loosened the tie around his neck, a smirk pulling at his lips as he let his mind wander for just a moment about what might be waiting on the other side of that door. Visions of Bulma lying on the bed waiting for him danced tantalizingly in his mind. That was one of the things he loved about her; sex was never routine. She always kept things interesting with new lingerie or new positions, constantly keeping him on his toes. He loved that she let him roleplay with her, dominate her, speak filthy words in her ear that turned them both on so much.

His tail uncurled from around his waist as he bit his bottom lip, a longing groan issuing from his throat as his eyes fell shut. He felt his frustration melt away at the thought of what she might have planned. His erection strained against the front of his pants already and he decided he couldn't wait another moment. He flung the door open, a grin on his face as the candlelight flickered around the darkened room. "Alright, woman, you've kept your prince waiting far long enough," he announced as he kicked the door shut behind him.

He paused in his steps and looked around. A bottle of the expensive champagne sat in a little bucket of ice near the bed with two glasses and a tray of strawberries. The pillar candles cast long, dancing shadows across the walls. But the bed was empty. He cocked an eyebrow and ventured farther into their large bedroom, glancing here and there for some sign of his mate. "Bulma?" he asked, confused. His brow furrowed as he went to the bathroom and looked inside, but she was not there either. He felt his frustration building again. "Okay, woman, if this is some sort of joke, it's not funny," he announced.

He crossed his arms and waited for a reply, but none came. He sighed heavily through his nose and stilled his mind for a moment. If she was here, he'd just find her energy signal. She didn't know how to suppress it. He could find her in an instant. He concentrated a little harder when he didn't feel it. She wasn't in their room. He reached out further, sensing Catie and Trunks in the living room, Tora in the kitchen, Dr. and Mrs. Briefs already asleep in their own room. Bulma wasn't anywhere inside Capsule Corp at all.

"The hell is this?" Vegeta growled and opened his eyes again. He couldn't fathom where she could be if she wasn't at home. It was late. She had no reason to be away from their home.

A piece of stationery on the bed caught his eye and he picked it up.

_Vegeta,_

_I'm so sorry, but an important business meeting came up at the last second. I know it's short notice, but I can't start my first day as CEO and ignore something like this. I don't know when I will be back. I just didn't want you to worry. I'm sorry._

_All My Love,_

_Bulma_

He turned the paper over in his hand as if searching for a better explanation, but there was nothing else to find. He ran a hand over his face and sat on the bed, reading over the note again. "So much for that treat," he grumbled and tossed the note onto the bedside table. He shook his head as he untied and slipped off his dress shoes.

This wasn't like Bulma. Well, okay, maybe it was a little like her to just suddenly go rushing off with a new idea or to drop everything when something more important came up. But never without telling him about it in person first. And definitely never by leaving some half-assed note.

He stood again and stripped away the tux, pausing when he caught his own reflection in the mirror. The bandages on his side had started to soak through with blood and he cursed himself for trying to outdo Goku on the dancefloor. No, scratch that. For outdoing Goku on the dancefloor. The prince considered himself the unspoken winner of that little challenge.

He made his way to the bathroom and peeled away the old bandages and frowned at them before he threw them in the trash. He turned and looked at his back in the mirror. It wasn't that bad. Should be completely healed in another day or two, he figured, since Saiyans generally healed so quickly. He replaced the bandages and went back to the bedroom, blowing out the candles before he fell back in the bed.

Ridiculous. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he got. Surely whatever she had rushed away to do couldn't have been so important that she couldn't have at least stopped and told him where she was going. This didn't add up to him. Bulma was never so thoughtless.

He grabbed a strawberry from the platter next to the bed and munched it absentmindedly, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling. After all the time and trouble she'd gone through to plan this party, all the money spent, the band hired, the waiters, the food, the damn ice-sculptures, and she just left without a word? No way. There was just no way.

Carelessly, he tossed the uneaten half of the strawberry away. The fruit tasted sour to him and he wasn't that hungry anyway. He reached for his phone in the drawer of the little table, deciding to call Bulma and demand an explanation for all of this. He quickly tapped his screen and held the phone to his ear, still reclining in the bed, a muscle working in his jaw. The phone rang and rang until eventually it went to voicemail. "Woman, I don't know what you think you're doing, running off in the middle of the night like this, but leaving a damn note that tells me nothing doesn't cut it. After dragging me to this party and making me wear this ridiculous suit all night, putting up with your friends, the least you could have done was to tell me in person," he growled into the phone. "I expect you to call me back the instant you get this message." And with that, he hung up the phone and tossed it onto the pillow next to him.

He tapped his fingers on his chest, expecting the phone to ring, thinking of all the things he was going to say when she finally called him back. Running off like this was uncalled for, rude, completely thoughtless. She was going to make it up to him as soon as she got home. Rebuild the new gravity machine, fix him a huge breakfast, and lots and lots of sex.

He scowled and looked at his phone again, making sure it wasn't on silent or that it had gone dead. "Dammit, woman, call me back," he growled.

After an hour of waiting, Vegeta finally gave up and crawled under the covers, turning to lay on his side, and huffed. He hoped for her sake that this meeting was as important as her letter claimed it was.

The bed felt exceptionally empty without her presence next to him. He wasn't much for closeness when he slept, only holding her when she insisted on it, but he was used to being able to reach over and touch her or to wrap his tail around her wrist as they slept. He realized how much of a habit it had become for him as his tail kept reaching over to her side of the bed and he jumped every time there was nothing to latch onto.

"Idiot," he growled to himself and scrubbed at his face with his hand. He'd let himself get so used to it, he didn't know what to do without her there. He could've smacked himself. Though his pride would never allow him to speak it aloud, he missed his mate. Missed the warm comfort of her next to him, the light scent of her perfume, the sound of her breathing as she slept. The silence in the room suddenly seemed overwhelming.

Vegeta tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep, but sleep would not come. His tail thumped irritatedly against the bed as he rolled over again. His body was exhausted, but his mind was on fire. Why had she not called him back? Perhaps she was still in this meeting, although what sort of meeting took place in the middle of the night on a Saturday? Did she have to travel and stay in a hotel for the night? That had to be it. It was the only thing that made sense.

He finally gave a sigh of relief, thinking she had to be sound asleep somewhere in another city and here he was fretting over nothing. "You fool," he almost laughed at himself. She would call in the morning, or perhaps even be home before he woke up.

The thought comforting him, he finally gave into his exhaustion and fell asleep.

No sooner than he had fallen asleep, Vegeta found himself in a very strange place. He was surrounded by darkness so black, he could barely see his own hand in front of his face. A cold wind washed over him, making him shiver, despite the fact that he tried to fight it. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, even though he couldn't see it, and he took a few cautious steps forward. What was this place? The silence was unnerving. Even though he could feel the cold wind against his skin, he couldn't hear it blowing. He couldn't hear anything. Not even the sound of his own footsteps.

His ears began to ring from the strain of trying to pick up a sound. This place was maddening! He crossed his arms over his chest as he walked, wishing he had something more to wear to protect him from that blasted cold. He paused and frowned; his eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet. With a roar, he powered up, his hair turning golden, his aura glowing brightly around him. He smirked with satisfaction, but the next instant, his expression turned to one of disbelief. There was nothing here! Even as he pushed the energy out, the light around him glowing brighter, there was nothing but blackness to be seen. The floor beneath him, the space above him, and every direction he turned, there was simply nothing.

"What is this?" he shouted, but his voice faded unnaturally fast, seemingly swallowed up by the silence. He scowled and powered up an energy blast, firing it blindly in front of himself with a loud cry, but the blast never hit anything. It just continued to go on and on until it, too, was consumed by the darkness.

Vegeta gaped in disbelief. How was that possible? The only other place he'd ever been that could compare to this was the hyperbolic time chamber. But even there, the sound had an echoing quality to it and everything was light so he could see around him. But this place was different. There was nothing here. Absolutely nothing.

"This is impossible!" he cried, looking around again, his mind working furiously to figure it out. "If there's a way into this place, then that means there has to be a way out," he reasoned. He started walking, keeping his power level up to try and light his way in case he stumbled upon something. Not to mention being prepared in case he was attacked. There were no other energy signals around, but that didn't mean someone wasn't suppressing their power. He knew that trick all too well.

He walked and walked, freezing cold, all the while his frustration and anger grew. This place was endless. He kept shouting out for someone to explain what was going on, what this place was, but nothing but silence answered him. Just when he thought he was going to go insane from it, that he was going to be driven mad by the silence and the darkness, he suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for air and shivering.

Of course it was a dream. But that didn't stop the way he still felt that coldness all around him, heard the deafening silence. He shook his head violently, trying to chase away the dream from his mind. Sunlight streamed through the windows and he realized that he'd dreamed about walking in that void all night long. He felt like he hadn't slept at all. He looked at Bulma's side of the bed, but it was untouched. He grabbed up his phone and checked it, but there were no missed calls, no texts.

With a growl, Vegeta got out of bed and dressed quickly, deciding to see if anyone else had heard from his wife. He slid his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled on the gloves from Jenny before he headed downstairs.

He found Dr. Briefs lounging by the pool in his Hawaiian shirt, looking rather content on his first day of retirement.

"Have you seen Bulma?" he asked gruffly.

Hearing his son-in-law's voice, he tipped his sunglasses down on his nose as he looked at the Saiyan prince, "She's not with you? I figured you two cut out for an early night after those guests started leaving last night." He stroked his mustache in thought, "Actually, I'm surprised, pleasantly, that you stayed down as long as you did. It was quite a thing to see you dancing!" With a huff, he moved to sit up straighter, "She probably just got up early to oversee the company on her first day. Though, if I were her, I'd take the sunday's off."

Vegeta was already shaking his head before Dr. Briefs finished speaking. "She left last night to go to a business meeting of some sort. She left a note and apparently, she left in quite a hurry," he said, thinking of the candles she'd left burning in the bedroom. Now that he thought about it, that was a really stupid thing for her to do. What if he hadn't gone up to the room when he did? She could've burned the whole place down. That didn't seem like something his wife would do. "She hasn't returned my call, either. Surely you must know something about this important business meeting if it meant that much to the company."

Dr. Briefs was confused, "That, that's highly unlikely. You know my Bulma, she'd been planning yesterday's event for some time. She put so much effort into it. If some meeting came up last minute, you know she wouldn't hesitate to give them a piece of her mind for interrupting her big night." With a groan, he pushed himself out of his chair, "You said she left you a note? Can I see it"

Vegeta fished the note out of his pocket and handed it over. He crossed his arms and waited for the other man to read over the note Bulma had left. He could see the worry appear on Dr. Briefs' face and it did nothing to console his own concerns. "There's something not right about it," Vegeta commented.

Dr. Briefs barely heard Vegeta's words, instead he fumbled to take off his sunglasses and tossed them onto the table, not even bothering to read the note as he looked over the script on the paper, "Vegeta, This isn't my daughter's handwriting." He looked up at him, concern and worry evident on his features, "And that cell phone is practically attached to her hand, you said she didn't call or text you back?" He worried his lip, "Something's happened to her. Wasn't one of your friends kidnapped not too long ago?" He said it and it made him sick to his stomach to think that Bulma had suffered the same fate, "How can we find her?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and swiped the note back to look over it. It looked like Bulma's handwriting to him, but then, he didn't remember her signature being quite so swirly and there was something odd about the way she'd crossed the Ts in the letter. Then again, she was in a hurry, or so it seemed. "Tao was destroyed by Kakarot and his mates," Vegeta answered. "And he had no quarrel with me or anyone else as far as I am aware. No one associated with that mess would have a reason to bother Bulma." He studied the note again, feeling as though his eyes were playing tricks on him. Was that Bulma's handwriting or not? He rubbed at his eyes, trying to make sense of it all. If she was in danger, he wanted to go to her as soon as possible. But if she wasn't, he didn't want to look like a fool, either.

Dr. Briefs thought for a good long moment, trying to work out in his head what could have happened. He could see the doubt in Vegeta's eyes and motioned him to follow as he went inside the house. He went over towards the safety cabinet and pulled open the bottom drawer and withdrew signed documentation when he had transferred ownership of the company to his daughter, "Now let's see here...ah hah, here it is." He said as he flipped to the page with Bulma's signature and laid it on the table for Vegeta to compare.

Worry was really starting to wear on him and he ran a hand through his hair, "This is what I get for trying to retire," He muttered, "Say, can't Goku take you right to her? I think under the circumstances you can go into that 'meeting' if she really is in one. I'm going to call some of my contacts to see if anyone really demanded a meeting at the last minute." He looked worriedly at the note again, "But I would bet my entire fortune on it, Bulma did not write that note."

"I'm not asking Kakarot for help," Vegeta snapped. He held the pieces of paper side by side, comparing the signatures. The one on the note was close, but he had been right. It was slightly off as if someone had tried to copy her writing. His dark eyes flicked back and forth between the two. This wasn't possible. There was no way someone snuck into their own home and took Bulma right out from under his nose. Perhaps he was in denial, but he just couldn't accept the fact that his mate was in danger and he had been clueless about it. "She was in a hurry," he said finally and set the document back down before he slid the note back into his pocket. "Forget I said anything. I overreacted."

Dr. Briefs crossed his arms, "Now wait a moment, young man, Did you come to me for help or didn't you!? I know my daughter's handwriting when I see it, I've seen it enough and whatever is on that paper is not hers! She's missing, not as some meeting! We have to find her!" He spotted Trunks out of the corner of his eye, "Trunks, my boy, come here! Tell your father that this note isn't written in your mother's handwriting."

Vegeta growled low in his throat. Trying to use his own son against him? He shook his head but handed over the note as Trunks held his hand out expectantly. "It's nothing, I'm sure of it," he muttered. He regretted asking Dr. Briefs about it now. If Bulma really was in trouble, then he'd let everyone know. But if she wasn't, he didn't want to get everyone stirred up, especially after what they had all been through less than a month ago when Sabriena went missing. "Well? Is that your mother's handwriting or not?"

Trunks looked over the note and blinked a couple of times. It, he rubbed at his eyes as they itched and looked again, "Well, yeah, it looks like it grandpa. Why? Mom leave on a trip or something last night? I thought for sure she'd have stayed until the end of the party at least." He looked back up at his dad and passed the note back to him. "Hasn't she called yet?"

Dr. Briefs threw his hands up in the air, "Ridiculous," He said annoyedly as he headed back outside, muttering to himself, "People come and ask me for help, ungrateful when I give my opinion on things…"

"She'll call when she gets a chance," Vegeta answered, taking the note from Trunks and putting it in his pocket once more. "You know how your mother gets wrapped up in her work. She'll call when she thinks about it."

Trunks smiled and nodded at his father, "Yeah, I remember when she and Jenny were working on that armor. Practically had to drag them away or else they forgot when to eat. I'm sure she'll be back in no time." He looked at his watch, "Catie and I were going to grab some lunch, you should come with us."

Vegeta blinked at that. Lunch? It was that late in the day already? He hadn't realized he'd slept that late. "No. You two go on. I'm going to train," he answered and left the kitchen, heading for the old gravity room, the one place he could think clearly. He was still unsure of whether or not it was Bulma's writing on that note. But he wasn't going to get too worked up until he either figured it out or didn't hear from her.


	5. Shadows on the Wall

Sweaty and sore from his exertions in the gravity room, Vegeta finally decided to call it a day and head up to his room for a shower before he grabbed some dinner. All day long, the only thing he had thought about was Bulma and where she could be. Why she hadn't called. Why he couldn't seem to feel her energy anywhere in the city. Without knowing where she was, it was nigh impossible to feel her from very far away. He was seriously starting to become concerned. No matter what she was working on, how busy she was, she had never ignored him for this long. He'd paused twice in his training to call her phone, but all he got was her voicemail.

Vegeta checked his phone again as he walked down the hallway and kicked open the door to his room, frowning at the screen. "Useless device," he grumbled. He stopped short in the doorway when he heard the shower running in the bathroom. His heart lifted and relief seemed to flood through his system at that. Bulma would often turn the shower on for him after a long training session. She must've come home, realized he was training, and come up here to prepare the shower for him.

A smirk touched his lips as he sat down in a chair to pull off his shoes. "It's about time you got home, woman," he said towards the open bathroom door. "I've been calling you all day. What was the big idea, running off like that without saying goodbye?"

Bulma didn't respond and he looked towards the bathroom again. "Bulma!" he barked. "I'm speaking to you." Still, nothing but the sound of the shower met his ears. He saw her shadow move across the wall and he gave a snort of amusement. Was she playing some sort of game? His interest piqued at that. Perhaps she was planning a long, steamy shower with him to make up for running out last night.

He got to his feet and finished undressing before he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "You try my patience, you know that?" he asked in an amused tone. He paused when he realized the room was empty. He blinked his eyes fiercely, rubbing at them, and looked again. She wasn't there. The shower was still running, steam filling the space behind the glass doors, but it was otherwise empty. "Bulma?" he asked softly.

This didn't make sense. He knew, he KNEW, he had seen her silhouette just moments before. He concentrated, feeling for her energy, but it was nowhere on their property. Was he losing his mind, imagining that her shadow was in the bathroom? Had it been a trick of the light? Or was he missing her so much that it was merely wishful thinking that he had seen her there? Still, the shower was on and he was certain no one else in the house would have done that.

An icy chill curled around him, making him jump. It was freezing! He spun around, looking for what could have caused the cold air, but there was nothing. The door was still shut, as was the window which was locked from the inside. "Fucking insane," he muttered. Still, he couldn't shake that cold feeling that seemed to wrap around him like a blanket, making unpleasant goosebumps erupt over his skin.

Someone had to be messing with him. This was some sort of stupid prank. He gave a violent shiver and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water erase the coldness he felt. Steam billowed and curled around him as he washed, his mind trying to work out what was happening. Catie would often pull pranks on him and would sometimes get others in the house to help her, but he couldn't imagine her pulling something this elaborate. And she wouldn't intentionally worry him like that. No, this wasn't a prank, he decided. Something strange was happening here and he couldn't figure it out to save his soul.

He stepped back to grab the shampoo and jumped again when he seemed to step into a pocket of wintry air. "The hell?" he cried and shivered again. How could that happen? The glass doors of the shower extended all the way to the ceiling and they were firmly closed. It wasn't possible for a draft to get in. He frowned at the spot and carefully extended his hand out again, but it was gone. "Madness," he snarled.

Movement outside the shower caught his attention as a huge black shadow swept across the wall. It was impossibly dark, darker than any shadow he'd ever seen before. It seemed to suck the light out of the space around it as it moved. It was too big to be Bulma; he yanked open the door, expecting to see Tora or one of the others messing with him, but once again, the room was empty.

An eerie feeling settled into the prince then, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He didn't know what that shadow was, but he definitely got an ominous feeling from it. He felt his throat tightening, his breathing becoming heavier, and he slowly backed up, closing the shower door once more. "What is this?" he breathed, his thoughts instantly going to spirits and ghosts. He'd never really taken the time to think about if he believed in such things before, but now he'd seen two shadows in his own home that didn't belong to anyone and he was starting to give the idea serious consideration.

He heard a slight squeaking, like the sound of skin against wet glass and his jaw opened in a silent shout, his voice lost to him, as two very clear handprints appeared on the steamed-up glass of the shower. The prints were small with slender, delicate fingers, definitely female. Swallowing the fear in his chest, Vegeta edged closer, looking at them. The handprints were just about the size of Bulma's hands. His own hand trembling, he reached out to touch the print, to compare the size to his own, and he jumped back with a shout as the print smeared. It had come from inside the shower!

"Oh to hell with this," he said quickly and turned off the shower, threw open the doors, grabbed a towel and made a beeline to the bedroom where he clicked on every single light. He wrapped the towel around his waist and sat on the edge of the bed, clasping his hands together and pressing them to his lips. _'What was that? What was that?'_ his mind asked over and over. He bounced his knees nervously. Was it ghosts? Were there such things? But that one shadow definitely belonged to Bulma. There was no way she could've been a spirit, she wasn't dead, and his mark would've told him otherwise if something like that had happened to her.

"Quit creeping yourself out, you idiot," he growled to himself and got to his feet again. He dried off and threw on a pair of comfy pajama pants before he ventured back out into the house, chewing the inside corner of his mouth as he tried to figure out what in the world was going on here.

He heard a scream from the living room and went running, his pulse thundering in his ears, wondering if the same thing was happening in the rest of the house. "What's wrong?" he cried. "What's happened?"

The living room was dark, save for the television, and Catie turned around to look at him. "Fucking Tora keeps grabbing me every time there's a scary part in this movie!" she cried, shooting Tora an accusatory look as the big Saiyan cringed away from her and snickered. Trunks was on her other side, laughing, and she slapped at his arm. "And. You. Keep. Encouraging. Him!"

Vegeta thought his heart had stopped and he slapped a hand to his chest. "Jesus. You imbeciles nearly gave me a heart attack."

Tora sobered and looked at Vegeta. He looked unusually pale. "You alright?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Vegeta fixed him with a fierce stare and didn't answer, his breathing still slightly heavy.

Trunks blinked at his father as he watched him trying to calm himself. Perhaps he was starting to freak out because his mother had been gone so long. "You still haven't heard from mom? Give her some time, it hasn't even been a full day yet. You haven't done anything to make her mad, have you? You know, throw water on a guest, blow up someones expensive car… No?" He frowned, it wasn't like his mother to do that. "Must be really busy," he murmured and looked back at the movie.

"Of course I haven't…" Vegeta trailed off for a minute, thinking back just to make sure he hadn't pissed Bulma off. "Of course I haven't made her angry!" Although, there was that incident yesterday with blowing up the new gravity machine, but she'd seemed more amused by that than irritated. Surely she wouldn't hold that over his head after she'd given him that massage. Bulma was the type to strike first and make up for it later when she was angry, not the other way around. She didn't let things stew like some women would.

Tora gave a slight frown, wondering if he should be concerned, but Trunks and Catie didn't seem worried, so he figured everything would be alright. "You know, I haven't known her for very long, but Bulma seems like the type of woman who can take care of herself. I'm sure she's fine, Prince. Why don't you come watch the movie with us?"

Vegeta took one look at the screen and shook his head as a woman in her bed was dragged down the hall by some unseen force. "No," he said firmly and stalked away.

* * *

Tora landed in the yard of Tien's cabin early the next evening, the smell of food cooking wafting out to meet him. His mouth instantly watered and his stomach growled. He breathed a deep sigh as the peace and safety of the girls' spell wrapped around him. Yeah, he definitely wanted to learn more about their way of doing magick.

He knocked on the door and grinned when Goku answered it. "Hope I'm not too early," Tora chuckled. "I just got anxious after hearing you brag so much about your wife's cooking."

Goku laughed and stepped aside so Tora could come in. "Not at all! She's been cooking up a storm since after lunch. I think she's afraid we are going to eat the house down to the ground." He winked to show he was joking. Actually, they were doing surprisingly well on food. The vegetables in the garden were plentiful and large, the chickens seemed to have started producing an abundance of eggs these past few weeks. The fish were easier to catch as well as there always seemed to be some wildlife out there that they could hunt.

Goku shut the door behind Tora and walked back over to the little ball of fluff that was nested in some rabbit furs and sat down next to it. "Come meet my new buddy!" he said cheerily.

Tora raised an eyebrow and followed Goku, leaning over to peer at the tiny bird. It blinked up at him and chirped. "What on earth is that?" he asked curiously as he reached out and rubbed its fluffy head with his finger.

"Goku's baby," Sabriena answered, flipping the big slabs of meat on the fire. "Thank god you guys took down that bear the other day. I don't know how we would have fed you all otherwise." She turned and smiled, "It's a falcon he found in the woods. Goku couldn't leave him behind. He's such a softie for anything helpless and pitiful and ugly."

Goku stuck his tongue out at her. "You're not ugly," he cooed to the little ball of fuzz.

"So, ah, what do you do with one of those?" Tora asked. Despite himself, he had to agree with Goku. The little bird was rather adorable. "Sorry, I still don't know much about this planet. A lot of this is new to me."

Goku grinned and scratched under the little bird's chin, feeling giddy when it closed its eyes and tilted his head back as if asking for more attention. "Tien says we can teach him to help me hunt once he gets bigger! Should help us expand our menu of what we can eat. Not sure how I am going to train him, but I suppose we will figure out something, won't we little fella?" He tilted his head. "I suppose I should think up a name for him." He went silently thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Ah, it'll come to me."

He sat back and looked up at Tora, "So! How are things back at Capsule Corp now that the party has died down?"

Tora opened his mouth to answer, but the door opened as Tien stepped inside and Dog bounded past him to jumped on Tora. "Hey, buddy!" the big Saiyan laughed and rubbed at Dog's spotted coat as the big Great Dane licked at his face. "This guy was fun to be around when you guys were, you know, staying at Capsule Corp." He settled himself on the floor near Goku, scratching at Dog's ears. "Ah, could be better, I suppose. Vegeta's in a mood. Bulma went on some business trip or something and hasn't called him. I dunno," he shrugged. "I don't think he's been able to sense her energy and that's got him all worked up, too."

Tien kissed Sabriena and went to sit in his chair at the end of the table. "She hasn't called anyone? That's odd. Bulma's usually more considerate than that."

Tora shook his head. "Dr. Briefs isn't very impressed with Vegeta. He thinks something happened to her, something about a note that didn't match her handwriting, but Trunks says she DID write it and I have no idea what's going on."

Goku blinked at Tora. "Bulma isn't at Capsule Corp? And there was a note?" He scratched his head in confusion. "I didn't think Bulma knew how to use pen and paper, what with all the technology, you know?" He closed his eyes for a moment, reaching out with his energy to Capsule Corp, trying to find his friend's familiar signature. She didn't have much of a power level, but he had known her all her life and it was so familiar to him that he could pick it out of a crowd of people. Like Tora had said, Bulma's energy was no where to be found. "Did they say where she went? A city or something?" he asked as he broadened his range, trying to pick her out, but came up with nothing. If he knew where to look, it would make finding Bulma a lot easier. "Her dad thinks something happened to her?" he continued, a serious tone creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, but you know how he is," Tora answered, drawing big circles in the air next to his temple. "The old man's a little out there. I think she's just mad at Vegeta or something." He paused and snickered, "She's probably vacationing somewhere just to get away from the rest of us for a while. Celebrating her promotion properly, you know?" He paused and looked down at the little bird again as it pecked at Goku's fingers, demanding attention.

Goku hummed noncommittally at Tora, "Always thought her idea of celebrating involved Vegeta in the bedroom." He sighed and shrugged, "Well, when you get back to Capsule Corp, tell Vegeta to come see me with that note, I want to see if for myself." He looked back down at the little bird. "Hey now! What did I say about my fingers not being your dinner?"

Sabriena snickered at Goku and set the food on the table. "C'mon, boys, dinner's ready," she announced and sat down in her chair. "Quick! Tien, get your dinner before they get to the table or we might lose a hand!" she cried and grabbed one of the steaks for herself, casting a suspicious eye at her Saiyan husband.

Tien laughed and filled his plate as Goku and Tora sat down at the table. Goku no longer had to sit on an upturned log; Tien had made four more chairs for their table since it seemed they were entertaining guests more often and he wanted Goku to have a chair of his own. He took a moment to eat before he voiced his opinion about the situation. "Do you really think Bulma would just run off like that without a word?" he asked Goku. "That doesn't sound like her."

Goku paused in cutting his steak to look at Tien. "You just read my mind, I was thinking the same thing. And to run off without a word on one of the biggest nights of her life?" He frowned down at his food a moment. "She would have had to been forced…" he drifted off and ate a piece of the bear steak, unable to stop the appreciative moan that worked its way out of him and he smiled over at his wife. "This is amazing, you've outdone yourself," he said happily. He could never get over having hot meals three times a day. He was working on getting used to it, he supposed he had a good twenty years before it was worked out of his system.

"I'm glad you like it, honey," she answered. She paused and thought about it for a moment. "But we were all there that night," Sabriena reasoned. "I can't imagine someone taking Bulma right under our noses. She wouldn't have gone quietly, either. I don't care how loud that music was, if there was a struggle, Piccolo would've heard it. Lord knows he hears EVERYTHING with those ears. You probably hear me right now, don't you, you big green bastard?"

"Language," Tien warned. He shook his head at his wife, giving her a disapproving look. "I certainly hope for Piccolo's sake that he can't hear this far," he said, thinking of the things he and his husband and wife spoke in the night. He felt a hot blush touch his nose at the thought and had to scrub at his face with his hand. "But you're right. If someone had attacked Bulma, surely we would've noticed?"

"Well I kinda thought the same thing," Tora added, speaking around a mouthful of food. He was ravenous, eating as fast as he could. Good lord, this food was amazing. He paused and took a big drink. "And she wouldn't have left a note if someone took her. That doesn't make sense." He let out a groan as he took another bite. "Kakarot, you weren't exaggerating. This is the best food I've had since I came to this planet."

Sabriena beamed proudly. "Thank you," she said. She could see the concern on Goku's face for his childhood friend. "Hey," she said gently, reaching over and laying her hand over his wrist. "I'm sure Bulma's fine. But if she isn't, we'll be ready to do whatever it takes to save her."

Goku felt a warmth spread through him at her comforting touch. "Okay," he said softly and returned to his dinner. "I still want to see that note, though."

Tora gave a nod. "If I can convince him, I'll have Prince Vegeta bring it out," he answered, his eating finally slowing as his stomach filled. "I see what you meant about stealing her away. You lucky dog, getting to eat like this every day."

Goku gave a cheeky grin before he finally pushed his plate aside. "Man, I'm stuffed! Thanks for dinner, honey," he said to Sabriena. He looked thoughtful for a minute before he said, "I do have one more question, though."

"What's that, babe?" Sabriena asked.

"What's for dessert?!"

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! We love hearing from you guys. Even quick reviews make us feel inspired to write more, so please leave us a note and let us know what you think!


	6. Things that go Bump in the Night

It took Jenny longer than usual to get to Capsule Corp. She was carrying her youngest daughter, Alice and coaching Paige as she flew beside her. She would never have thought her daughter would have been flying at such a young age, "Your Papaw has been teaching you how to fly when I'm not around, hasn't he?"

She shook her head and landed in the backyard, smiling at her daughter as she only stumbled slightly as she came down onto the grass, "Good girl honey! Do you need a drink? That was a lot farther than we've tried to fly before!" She shifted Alice in her arms and reached down to grasp her daughters hand, "Let's get a juice box." And led the way inside, setting Alice on the floor, she walked over to the kitchen and pulled out two boxes, handing one to Paige who insisted she poke the straw into her own box, "Okay okay."

Alice sat on the ground, looking around with wide eyes and rubbed at her little arms before she smiled widely and toddled over to the living room sofa, "Ma ma!" She exclaimed and crawled up onto the couch, reaching out for something. Jenny finished getting the juice box together and made sure Paige had hers correctly before she looked back up again, pausing with wide eyes when she saw Alice, talking to empty space.

"Oh, not her, too," Catie groaned as she entered the living room, seeing Alice talking to the wall. "Jesus, it's becoming a past time around here," she grumbled and threw herself into a chair. She nearly laughed at Jenny's questioning look. "Haven't you heard? Bulma's been gone for, like, four days now and Vegeta's been talking to himself like a lunatic."

Jenny's eyes went wide at Catie's words, "What do you mean she's been gone for four days?! Has anyone gone looking for her? When did mom go missing?" She counted back four days and her eyes widened further, "Since the party!? Why are you laughing? If Bulma's been gone, why haven't the police been involved?" She looked over at Alice, who giggled and nodded at nothing in particular. She wasn't sure what she was doing, she didn't have an imaginary friend. She mostly just spent her time with Dende, walking with him around the Lookout. BRB

"Dude, she's not missing," Catie said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and playing with the screen for a minute. "She's on some sort of business trip. Last minute or something. She left Vegeta a note saying where she went, but Dr. Briefs isn't buying it. He says it's someone else's handwriting. But Trunks and I think it looks like it was written by her. Vegeta thought so, too, but now he's starting to worry because she hasn't called." She sighed and sat her phone in her lap for a minute. "You're right. I shouldn't laugh. I don't think he's slept much these past few days, but it's just amusing to me that he's so worried over nothing. She's probably just really busy. She'll be back."

Jenny paused, "What do you mean, Bulma hasn't called? Seriously? In all the time we've known her...and you've known her longer than I have, what was the longest she's gone without calling someone? If she's on a long business trip, I know she would call Dad no matter how late at night." She worked her lip between her teeth, wondering if Dende could find her, but then again, he had an entire world speaking in his ears so maybe not.

"There have been times she ignored him for a few days when she was mad at him," Catie answered. She paused for a minute, "Or maybe he wasn't speaking to her. Either way, I think she's okay. Maybe something happened to her phone?" She sat up a little straighter and looked at her sister. "You really think Bulma's in trouble?"

Jenny worked her lip, "I don't know, I wish I knew more on the situation. Maybe if I could talk to Dad about it, form my own opinions on the matter." Her brow furrowed as she thought, something. Something was unsettling to her and she looked up to see her father walk into the kitchen, but before she could say anything, Alice scrambled off the couch and ran to him. She made the universal up sign with her hands, staring as intently as she could at him.

Vegeta hadn't even noticed Alice running into the kitchen and he nearly stumbled over her as he turned from the fridge with a bottle of water in his hand. "Oh," he said flatly and looked down at the little Namek. He was surprised to see her asking for him to pick her up. She usually stuck closer to her mother when she was around Capsule Corp while Paige was the one to demand his attention. He easily lifted her with one arm and held her to his chest as he looked over at Jenny and Catie. "What?" he asked, his voice rough and tired sounding.

"Help me." She said firmly, looking at him with her big eyes and her face scrunched up as she tried to pronounce a word she wasn't familiar with, "Ab… Laab." She had to stop, her face full of concentration as she tried again. Her head turned to the side, looking to the couch a moment before she nodded and turned back to Vegeta, "Lab!" She said more firmly than before and when he didn't react to her she became more distraught, "LAB!" She insisted.

"Shush," Vegeta said, still staring at his daughters. He could see their confused looks, the way they stared at him. He knew he looked rough, but he didn't care. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat. Not with Bulma gone and those damned huge black shadows dancing across the walls of his room at night. It didn't matter what he did, they were still there. Lights on, it was all too easy to see them as they moved about the room. And with the lights off, they were still clearly visible, their blackness like nothing he had ever seen before.

And there was still her. Bulma. Her shadow occasionally moving across the wall or sitting in a chair, ghosting about the bathroom, just as black and solid as the other shadows. And no one else in the house seemed to have seen any of it. He had tried talking to her the past couple days, but so far, he'd gotten no response at all. "You can stop looking at me like that."

Alice frowned deeply at him and started squirming until he put her back onto the ground. She promptly grabbed his hand and started heading out of the kitchen, shouting at the top of her little lungs, "LAB!" She turned while she was trying to drag her grandfather, looking up at him, pleading at him to understand, "Come! We go Lab!" She insisted.

Jenny looked after her daughter as she dragged Vegeta off into the hallway, on of the most strongest warriors in the universe, dragged into a hallway by a toddler. She was on her feet in a second, following, eager to see where her daughter was trying to lead her father.

"Alice," Vegeta growled, but let her lead him anyway, bent nearly double as he walked. He couldn't figure out what Alice could possibly want in Bulma's lab. Unless… "Bulma isn't there," he said firmly. But Alice was insistent. They finally reached the lab, which was dark and empty. "See? There's nothing here."

Alice turned around and pointed to a seemingly empty spot of the lab and insisted boldly, "Ma Ma!" Before she looked at the spot and nodded, a pleased look working itself over her face and she marched herself out of the lab, closing the door behind her firmly.

Vegeta blinked at the spot Alice had pointed at, then turned to Jenny and cocked his eyebrow. "The hell was that all about?" he demanded. Still, he couldn't stop the way his heart rate picked up, the unnatural coldness in the lab curling around him. Had the child really seen Bulma? He took a cautious step forward, forgetting for a moment that his daughter was with him. "Bulma?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "You have to tell me where you are," he continued, "you have to tell me how to help you."

Jenny couldn't help that her brow furrowed, watching her dad talk to someone that wasn't there. It struck too close to home for her. Her real biological father going on about how the government was always out to get him. That the government was there even though you couldn't see them. She looked around the empty lab before she looked sadly at her father, "Dad, there's no one here." She said sadly.

Alice, however, would have none of it and took her mothers hand and came back inside the lab and started dragging her mother out of the lab.

Catie leaned against the wall with a self-satisfied smirk on her lips. "See what I mean?" she said when Alice pulled Jenny out into the hallway. She looked through the open door and shook her head. "He's losing it," she whispered. "I mean, okay, so maybe Bulma really didn't go on that business trip. Why isn't he out looking for her? Why hasn't he asked for our help?"

Vegeta was still speaking softly to the darkened lab when a blast of cold air hit the mating mark on his neck. He clapped a hand to it and hissed as the freezing sensation jarred him to his very core, making him shiver violently. Oh, gods, no. No, it couldn't be. He remembered watching Goku when his mark had died, how he complained of it going cold. Surely not. No, Bulma would never betray him, never leave him like that. He forced himself to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat as he struggled to control his breathing. His heart was panicking now, his eyes stung. There was no way.

Taking several sharp, gasping breaths, his hand still clenched over the left side of his neck, Vegeta finally calmed his mind just enough to think clearly. Goku's mark had hurt when it died. There was no pain in this, just coldness. That had to be a good sign, in some fucked up sort of way. Bulma wasn't dead, he knew that. And she hadn't left him, he knew that, too. But where she was, he had no idea.

Catie's eyes widened as Vegeta gasped and clutched at his mark. She remembered that evening after the war when Goku showed up, how he had grabbed at his mark, too. "Vegeta!" she cried in alarm.

He spun on his heel and glared at them, forcing his hand back down to his side. "It's fine," he said gruffly. "I'm fine."

If Jenny hadn't been worried before, she was worried now, "Dad, I think we really need to find Mom. Bulma has to be somewhere. Something weird is going on." She said, looking down at her daughter who was, once again, giggling at nothing. She frowned and stepped into the lab, expecting it to be cold, but didn't feel anything out of order. She wondered what could have caused Vegeta to shiver so violently.

"She is here," he said in a low voice.

For the first time since Bulma had disappeared, Catie was genuinely concerned. "Uh, 'Geta, what are you talking about?"

"She's still here, in this house," he answered. Something had happened to her, but she was still in their home somehow. His eyes widened as Bulma's silhouette appeared on the wall behind Catie and Jenny for just a fraction of a second, then vanished.

Catie glanced quickly over her shoulder, but saw nothing. "If she was here, we could sense her. I think the stress is starting to get to you," she said cautiously. She didn't want to offend him by calling him crazy, she wasn't trying to piss him off. But she knew he hadn't slept well and she hadn't seen him eat for a couple days. "Maybe you should grab a bite to eat and relax for a bit."

Jenny was about to open her mouth, to agree with Catie when her daughter suddenly gave a happy screech and ran to hide behind one of Bulma's desk, still in plain view of everyone in the room. She looked at her daughter, looking off into nothing and then back to her father. She felt a concern worm its way up into her chest and started to grow, the realization was nagging at her, but she didn't want to believe it. Something pulled at her, a cold chill and she shivered violently, "Dad." She said hesitantly, not knowing why she was feeling this compelled, but Gramma had said something about feeling like this. About letting it happen, "I want you to look after Alice for the next few days. I…" She bit her lip, casting a glance at Catie, thinking she was going to sound as crazy as the Saiyan, "I think she will help you."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes slightly at their expressions. Catie looked at him like he'd lost his mind and Jenny, well, he wasn't quite sure what she was thinking. Babysitting Alice? What good would that do? "And how do you expect a toddler to help me, exactly?" he asked in a dangerous tone, his expression making the underlying threat all too clear: Jenny had better choose her words carefully.

She could see the threat clearly in his eyes, but she knew better than to be intimidated by his stance. Whatever this was, whatever he was going through, he was afraid, "Because Alice sees things that we can't. Dende says she has a gift, to see the spirits of people. He told me that she is going to be the next guardian of earth."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and looked down his nose at the tiny Namekian with her pale pink, almost white hair. He leaned over, his eyes locked on hers, studying her for a minute. "Kinda tiny for a guardian," he muttered, poking her belly, making her give a little giggle. He stood back up and sighed. "Fine. She can stay tonight. But I doubt she's going to figure out anything that I don't already know."

Jenny couldn't stop the snort that made it out of her nose as she looked at her dad before she looked back down at Alice, kneeling before her, "Honey, Grandpa needs your help, so if Ma ma is really here, I need you to help him talk to her. Or, you know. Whatever it is you do." She drew Alice into her arms, whispering into her ear, "If anything, just give him company. He is missing Ma ma, really bad."

Vegeta shook his head, but found he didn't mind watching Alice for the night. He had spent so much time with her sister that he hadn't really made much time for her. He suddenly realized how unfair that was, just because Paige was destined to become a fighter while it was pretty obvious to everyone that Alice was not. But she had other talents, he was sure, and even if she didn't, she was still his granddaughter. "One condition. If she isn't asleep by midnight, you're coming to pick her up. I'm not going to listen to her throw a fit all night long. OH. And you get to tell Paige."

Jenny snorted, "Okay, first of all, Dende usually keeps her up past two am. Second of all, she doesn't throw fits, that's Paige's area of expertise." She looked at her dad with sincere concern in her eyes, "Alice will help. She may be small, but believe it or not, she understands this place better than you or I could even begin to understand it. If something funky is going on, I trust my daughter to know what's happening. If nothing happens and I'm wrong, then you get to spend a night with your other granddaughter. So, just enjoy it, and get some sleep dad." She put her hand on his shoulder, frowning when he flinched, "We're worried about you. Mom wouldn't want you to be like this. She would want you to be focused and well rested. For whatever is ahead."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Vegeta growled in response. He looked down at the tiniest Namek and crossed his arms. "Well come on, then. Let's go watch your mother break the news to your sister. Piccolo will be able to hear her fit from here." He stopped at Bulma's desk and opened one of the drawers, swiping a lollipop Bulma kept there to occupy the girls if she was trying to work and needed them to be quiet for a minute. He nearly snickered to himself with amusement when he imagined Piccolo's reaction to his daughter coming home, jacked up on sugar.

Jenny smiled and shook her head, leading the way back out to the main living room. She braced herself for what would surely be the biggest tantrum of the year.

* * *

Vegeta was surprised at how well-mannered Alice was. He was used to Paige and her demanding attitude, her determination and independence. Even though her vocabulary was still limited, Paige wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone what she thought. He chuckled at the memory of the fit she'd thrown that afternoon, throwing herself on the floor and screaming with big crocodile tears rolling down her face when she found out her sister was staying the night and she was not. She'd banged her little fists on the floor and kicked it with her feet, then paused to lick the lollipop for a moment before she resumed her tantrum. But in the end, Jenny had won out and finally hauled Paige off the floor to take her home.

And the entire time, Alice had stood stoically by his side, watching her sister with a disapproving stare.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with her. She had no interest in fighting, so he couldn't take her to train, and she seemed to ignore the television when he turned it on to Paige's favorite show, choosing to look out the window instead. She finally took an interest when he picked up a kids' book to read to her and she crawled into his lap, sucking her thumb as he read aloud, her big brown eyes glued to the pages.

It was nice to have a distraction for a moment. He could pretend that Bulma was working in her lab or really was away on a business trip. But all too soon, the light dimmed outside and Alice gave a big yawn and Vegeta realized he was going to have to face his bedroom again. "Come on, then," he said sullenly and hauled her up on his shoulder to carry her to his room.

Alice looked around, curling her arms around Vegeta's neck and looked around the hallway with big eyes, watching the large shadows that followed them, the ones that walked down the hallways as if they were lost, and the ones that just sat there, curled in on themselves. She tightened her grip on her grandpas neck and chose to focus on the more familiar shadow that followed them. She smiled and giggled at it, it made faces at her, "Ma ma." She said.

Vegeta spun around just in time to see the shadows vanish. A cold thrill shot down his spine as he saw Bulma's silhouette for only the briefest second until it was swept away with the others. That almost looked like they had pulled her away, but it happened so fast, he couldn't be sure. He blinked his eyes harshly, then shook his head. "Bulma?" he asked quietly. He sighed as once again, silence met his ears. He pulled Alice back a bit and looked curiously at her, his gaze intent on her big eyes. "You see her too, don't you?"

Alice looked at her grandpa, her eyes wide and she slowly nodded before she pointed into the darkness, "Ma ma," She insisted before she looked the other way, into the other shadows of the hallway and tried to hide in Vegeta's shoulder as she spoke, "Others. Not Ma ma." She said firmly and her face scrunched up as she thought of how to convey this to him, "Door open. Lots come through."

Vegeta frowned as Alice confirmed his suspicions. "It's okay," he tried to sooth, walking backwards down the hall to the bedroom. He kicked the door closed with his toe as soon as they were inside, breathing a sigh of relief. He knew they weren't safe from those shadows, they would come in the room anyway if they so chose, but somehow shutting the door felt like he'd at least let them know they weren't welcome.

He grabbed up the bag Jenny had left the last time she brought the girls over and helped Alice change into her little nightgown before he tucked her into Bulma's side of the bed. He changed into his own pajama pants and t-shirt, then went to the lightswitch, but paused. "On or off?" he asked, looking over at the little girl nestled in his bed.

Alice scooted over in the bed, closer to Vegeta and smiled up at him, "Off!" She said boldly and pointed to Bulma's side of the bed, "Ma ma… no light, can't stand" She said and curled up next to Vegeta looking out over his arms as he settled down. She watched, the only problem with turning off the light for Bulma, was that the others came out. She shivered and whimpered against him.

"Of course," Vegeta grumbled and clicked off the light. He would never, not even under the worst sort of torture, ever admit that he had hoped she would say to leave the light on. He pulled her against his side, laying on his back, and tucked his other arm behind his head. He sighed as the normal shadows of the room began to shift and darken. "Not tonight," he growled. "Not in front of my granddaughter."

Alice looked around, seeing all the shadows of the room shift and come alive. She frowned at them, they were not supposed to be here. She turned her head to Bulma's side as she could feel the slightest shift of the bed and smiled. She grasped Vegeta's hand and tugged it towards the other side of the bed, looking at him when she put his hand on to the shadow she saw, "Ma ma." She insisted.

Vegeta shivered and withdrew his hand as it felt like he plunged it into a bucket of ice water. The mark on his neck sent unpleasant chills down his spine, freezing so bad it almost burned. It seemed to get worse by the hour. He rolled on his side, peering at the empty space on the bed. "Is it really you?" he asked softly, staring at the pillow, right where her face should've been. "Or am I going mad? I see your shadow, at least, it looks like yours. I… I think I'm losing my mind, Bulma."

Alice shivered, drawing the blankets up around them, even going so far as to pull the blankets over Bulma's space on the bed but they fell flat. She shivered again and paused for a moment, as if listening before she tilted her head back and looked up at the prince, "It's so cold." She said in a hushed voice before she repeated the same words from before, "Help me."

Vegeta looked down at the little Namek pressed against his chest. "What?" he asked, laying a heavily muscled arm around her, trying to warm her. Gods, he still sometimes had trouble understanding her words. Jenny could understand her just fine, but he had to really focus on what she said to understand it himself. "Did you say help?" He was about to ask what she needed help with when a loud bang from the closet made him jump and turn towards the sound, his hackles raised, prepared to try to fight off anything lurking in the darkness.

Alice shook her head fiercely, whimpering loudly, "No, Ma ma said! Ma ma said she need help. Help her." Her eyes darted around the room, the shadows were becoming bolder, "Light! Turn light on, she says!" She closed her eyes trying to will the shadows away, holding on to her grandpa tighter. Some of the shadows were okay, like her grandma, but others. Other were angry.

Without question, Vegeta clicked on the light and the shadow retracted to the open closet, but did not vanish. It was unusually tall and from what he could see, it looked like a man wearing a top hat. Even though it had no eyes, he could feel its piercing gaze on him and Alice. "You're not welcome here," he growled protectively, shifting in the bed a bit to hide Alice from it. "I don't know what you want, but leave us alone! What have you done with my Bulma?!"

Alice was trembling terribly, from the cold and the fear of the shadows in the room. The light kept them at bay, but it also pushed Ma ma away as well but Ma ma kept assuring her that it was okay. She didn't understand what was going on, but it wasn't good. Not at all. Dende had been showing her things, teaching her, but this. He hadn't prepared her for this.

Vegeta swore he could hear his own heart hammering against his ribcage as he looked around the room. The shadow in the closet wasn't the only one watching them. There was another standing in the doorway to the bathroom, easily as tall as Piccolo and twice as wide. A third seemed to lurk in the shadow behind the armchair near the windows. This was insane. How many more were there? He sat up straighter, fear curling around his chest. He couldn't fight these things. No matter how powerful he was, how could he fight a shadow? He gave a shout of surprise as the bed gave a jump and he realized there must be another hiding beneath the bed.

Alice sat up straighter in Vegeta's lap, whimpering and held her small hands together, closing her eyes and focusing. The bed was shaking and the room was filled with negative energy that shook her to her core. She bit her lip as she focused, a white light forming in her hands, not energy, not magick. Something different Dende had been trying to teach her. About correcting the energies with pure positive energy. He had told her it was easy for her because she was still innocent, still pure and unexposed to the cruelties of the world.

The light in her hands expanded easily and engulfed the entire room, pushing the negative forces out, no shadow left behind. She opened her eyes, looking around as she held a little ball of light. She looked sad as she gazed towards the door, "Sorry Ma ma."

Vegeta blinked in shock, his jaw dropping slightly open as the shadows disappeared. He wrapped his arms around his granddaughter, leaning his face down into her silky hair. "Good girl, Alice," he murmured. He had no idea she had such a power. He peered out at the room, his eyes keen and untrusting. It had worked, but for how long? There was no way he was sleeping tonight. He would not risk losing Alice to those shadows as well. Even though his body was utterly exhausted from lack of sleep over the past few nights, his mind was sharply awake. He exhaled a long sigh through his nose before he sat up straighter and looked down at her again. "You want to read some more instead? I'm not tired now," he said softly.

Alice smiled up and him and nodded, "We keep the shadows away."


	7. The Shadow Realm

Jenny came back two days later at Dende's insistence that Alice needed to do this on her own and she needed time to do it. When she arrived, she didn't know what to think except that something was very wrong. The shadows under Vegeta's eyes and her daughters were prominent and she knew something was going on. She pressed her lips together, watching Vegeta quietly reading to Alice. Her mind worked furiously. Something was happening here, something that couldn't be explained.

She sighed, there was only one person who she could think of to turn to in this situation, but he was not going to like this. "Dad," she started, pausing as the two looked up at her and she sat down across from him, "I really think you need to go see Gramma about this. She's good at things you can't explain."

Vegeta looked up from the book he was reading to Alice. "Gramma? You mean that crazy old bat that Kakarot hangs around with so much? No thank you." He rubbed at his eyes; they felt dry and heavy like they were made of sandpaper. He'd barely slept since Bulma had gone missing. He gritted his teeth as his mark gave a particularly nasty throb and his hand automatically went to cover it. It even felt cold to the touch now. But she wasn't dead. He knew that after the past two nights spent with Alice. But for the life of him, he didn't understand what was happening or how Bulma had somehow turned into nothing but a cold shadow in his bedroom. Still, he was hesitant to go visit Arthusia. "I'll have no dealings with that woman."

Jenny sighed, "Dad, look at you! You are exhausted. Go to Goku, get him to take you to Gramma. What if she can tell you exactly where to find Bulma and you can get her back before the day is out?" She looked at him, his hair wild, dark circles under his eyes. He was even starting to look starved, "Dad, please. This is killing you."

He knew what she said was true. He felt like he was dying on the inside without his mate, worrying constantly over her. But asking for Kakarot's help, asking for the Grama's help, made his skin crawl. He hated to think that he was asking either one of them for help; it made him feel weak, like he couldn't take care of his mate on his own. But a nagging voice in the back of his head told him that in this case, he COULDN'T take care of Bulma on his own and that if he didn't swallow his pride, she might end up hurt or worse. "Fine," he finally agreed.

Tora overheard the conversation and spoke up, "Hey, take that note with you that Bulma left. Kakarot said he'd like to see it."

"And just how does HE know about it?" Vegeta demanded, fixing the other Saiyan with a piercing stare.

Tora cringed slightly. "I, uh, might've mentioned it to him the other night when I went over there for dinner. He and Bulma are friends, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. My apologies, Prince," he said, bowing his head slightly. Although Vegeta didn't demand that he address him by his title, it was so ingrained in Tora to do so, that he couldn't seem to stop himself, even if the others gave him funny looks when he did so. "It couldn't hurt to let him see it, though, right?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, double checking that the note was still there. He'd been reading it over and over, carrying it with him like a lifeline, trying to decide for himself if it really was her handwriting or not.

Jenny went over and picked Alice up; her little baby looked beyond exhausted. She cradled her against her and looked at her dad. He looked just as exhausted, if not more so. There was nothing she could say to make it better. He hated asking for help and he loathed it more when he had to go to Goku for it.

"I'll take her," Piccolo offered, reaching for his daughter. "You go with Vegeta, see what you can get figured out." He cradled Alice against his shoulder as Paige blinked up at her sister curiously. "Arthusia will know what to do."

Vegeta fought the urge to yawn as he got to his feet. The expression on his face clearly said the last thing he wanted to do was to go to Goku, but he knew he had no choice. "Let's go before I change my mind," he grumbled, turning and heading for the door.

* * *

Goku blinked from his spot in the garden, pausing as he pulled up weeds and sat back on his heels to wipe sweat from his brow as he looked to the sky. He spared a glance at Tien and Sabriena who had sensed it too; the two energies coming for them.

He stood up and brushed off his pants, turning to his mates and waved them off. "Don't worry, I'll see what they want!" he said cheerily. Maybe Vegeta was coming to spar or that thing with Bulma wasn't resolved yet. He walked out to the front yard to see Jenny and Vegeta touch down. His eyes widened a fraction, Vegeta did not look good at all. His eyes narrowed, "What's wrong?"

Jenny stepped forward. "Bulma is still missing Goku. I was hoping you could take us to see Gramma so she can do a spell to help find her," she said, not mentioning the other things that Arthusia could help with. A bed to sleep in, blessed food and more of the like.

Vegeta scowled at Goku. He looked to be doing better after their little fiasco with losing Sabriena. He wondered if this was how Goku had felt when she was missing, or if his pain had been similar when Chichi left him. Women. Here he and Goku were, the two strongest warriors the universe had ever known, and yet they crumbled without their mates at their side. "I don't like this," Vegeta growled. "But she seems to think the old woman might know something we don't."

Goku blinked at them, he did love to visit with Gramma. Carefully he studied Vegeta and he decided he did not look unlike himself when Tien and him lost Sabriena. "She should, she knows a lot of stuff that we don't. She sees the world differently." He had to know how hard this had to be for Vegeta, one of the strongest warriors who was used to protecting others and being the one others turned to for help and not the other way around. "Yeah, I'll help you. One sec." He turned and went back, explaining the situation to Sabriena and Tien.

"She's still not back?" Tien asked, a frown pulled at his lips. "That's not like her. Something had to have happened." While he and Bulma weren't exactly close, she was one of his oldest friends and they had always gotten along. He cared little for Vegeta, but if it meant helping Bulma then he was all for it. Especially after the way Bulma had helped rescue Sabriena and all the work she'd done to assist them. "Go on, Goku. Take them to see Arthusia. I hope she'll have some answers."

Sabriena found herself wanting to go, just to see Gramma, but now wasn't the time. She knew Vegeta still didn't like her. "Tell Gramma I said hello, okay?" she smiled.

Goku nodded. "I'll be back when I can. Keep the bed warm," he chuckled, kissing each of them goodbye before he returned.

Jenny was worrying her lip, "Dad, did you want me to come with you to Gramma's?" She knew this was going to be hard enough with Goku along, he certainly wouldn't appreciate having more witnesses to a moment when he needed help from others. "Though, I can explain what's going on to Gramma."

Vegeta crossed his arms, debating for a moment. Having his daughter along might make the situation more tolerable. She knew Arthusia better than he did. He gave a nod and looked down at his boots as Goku came around to the front of the cabin again. Anything would be better than spending the day alone with Kakarot. "As long at the Namek isn't going to be up your ass for being gone so long," he muttered.

Jenny chuckled as Goku came back up to them, "Alright! Are we ready to go?"

Goku shook his head. "One thing before we do go, did you bring that note with you? I'd like to see it first." An idea hit him and he turned back to Tien, he might know Bulma's handwriting as well. "Hey Tien! Come here for a second! Look at this note with me!" He turned back, offering Vegeta a smile, "Hey, all the help you can get right? Tien and I owe you for helping us when Sabriena was missing. Let us return the favor."

Vegeta pulled the note from his pocket with a sigh. "Trunks swears his mother wrote it, her father swears she didn't, and I…" he paused for a moment, a frown on his face as he looked at the folded up note. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Tien walked up behind Goku and peered over his shoulder as Vegeta handed over the note. He watched as his husband unfolded the piece of paper and quickly read over the message. "It looks like Bulma's handwriting, from what I remember," Tien said. "But that still doesn't make-" His words were cut off as the wind suddenly picked up, drawing their attention. It whistled through the trees, nearly bowing them over. "What in the world?" Tien cried as Sabriena came running around the cabin, looking frightened.

Goku looked up a moment at Sabriena. "Are you alright? What was that wind?" he asked, looking around before movement on the paper caught his eyes. "What…" He watched as the words on the paper looked as if they were made of dust, swirling and changing with the wind, it even blew some of the excess dust away and what was left nearly made Goku drop the paper. His eyes narrowed and he read over the note again, the message was the same, but now, "That is definitely not Bulma's writing."

Vegeta saw the dust blow away from the note and he stepped closer, his eyes widening when he saw the note again. "But that… that's impossible!" he stammered. The copy of Bulma's handwriting had been whisked away to reveal a rather ugly, sharp scrawling in its place. "How?"

Jenny's eyes widened in understanding. "I know how." She gestured all around them, "The blessings that the girls and I did, that we put on this place. Each of us asked for a different blessing to be added to this home. Leelee's gift was something like let all lies be blown away into the wind or something like that." She narrowed her eyes at the paper and looked fiercely up at her dad. "You were right, something has happened to mother and whoever the real author of this note is, tried to keep you from noticing. A delay." She tried to work it out in her head but only pulled her hair out. "Why would someone try to delay you in finding her? Wouldn't someone ask for ransom money or something!?"

Vegeta shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment. "I don't know," he answered quietly as the wind died away as quickly as it had appeared.

"Take them to Arthusia," Tien said softly in Goku's ear as he still stood behind him. "She's the only one who's going to be able to figure this out. Don't worry about me and Sabriena, we'll be fine and you take as long as you need. We love you." He pressed a kiss to the back of Goku's neck before he turned to go back to his garden, slinging an arm around Sabriena's shoulders and saying, "C'mon, girl."

Goku waited for Jenny to take Vegeta's arm before he took her hand and pressed his fingers to his forehead, feeling out Gramma's comforting energy with his mind. She would be expecting them for sure. He took a breath and the next minute they were greeted with warm sea breeze, the waning light of the day, the smell of salt in the air.

"Mmhmm," Gramma said loudly from her porch, leaning against the post with her arms crossed. "I knew you'd be by today." She blinked at Vegeta standing with Goku and Jenny in the yard and tipped her head slightly to the side. "But I wasn't expecting to see you. How are you, handsome?"

Vegeta groaned inwardly. Crazy old bat. This was NOT what he needed right now. He shrugged in answer to her question.

"Well, come on, I've made that soup you like so much, Goku," she said, waving them into the house. She paused as Jenny trotted up the stairs to her. "What did you do?" Gramma asked, touching Jenny's short hair. "It's a good look for you."

Jenny smiled at Gramma leaning into the touch, "Gramma we have a lot to talk about." She looked over her shoulder at Vegeta. Since he hadn't been eating, her dad would do good with that soup Gramma made. "I'll tell you while we eat." She followed Gramma into the house, motioning for the two Saiyans to follow them. The house smelled amazing, fresh chocolate cake and the amazing soup. Goku tucked right into a large bowl.

Jenny waited until Vegeta had a bowl before she turned to Arthusia, "The reason why we came here is that Bulma, Vegeta's mate... wife. My mom. She's been missing. Vegeta says his mating mark is cold. Alice has been acted strangely when I took her to visit and when I let her stay the night. And just now, at Tien's cabin, the note that was supposedly left by Bulma. It just turned into someone else's handwriting!"

Gramma raised an eyebrow. "Bulma's missing?" she repeated softly. That bothered her. She'd become quite fond of Bulma when they'd met; they had gotten along remarkably well and she enjoyed visiting with her. "Let me see this note," she said.

Vegeta handed it over without question, blinking at himself once it was out of his hand. There she went again, bossing him around and he obeyed her without a second thought. 'Crazy old witch,' he thought to himself.

"I heard that," Gramma said without looking up from the note.

Vegeta paled and he looked accusingly at Jenny. "You didn't tell me she could read minds!"

Gramma snickered to herself. "I can't. But with the look on your face, I figured you were thinking something you wouldn't dare voice aloud to an elder who's trying to help you."

Vegeta scowled for a moment before he turned his attention back to his soup, drawing the spoon around in nonsensical patterns. Ridiculous. This whole idea was stupid. He should have been looking for Bulma himself, not begging for the help of others. Especially not this old crone who seemed more amused than anything.

Jenny frowned at her Dad who was just poking at his soup. "One bite. Eat one bite!" she insisted. She knew if he could just get that food into his stomach, he would eat the whole thing and be on his way to feeling better, getting his strength back, his power.

Gramma studied Vegeta for a moment. She could feel the worry, the stress, the sadness. Good gods, this was bad. It was such a foreign emotion for him that it felt uncomfortable to Gramma to feel it from him. She sat down in her chair and pressed a little more into his emotions, looking for clues, trying to see where to start looking for Bulma. It wasn't working. Either he was consciously trying to block her or he didn't understand his own emotions enough. She grabbed Vegeta's wrist suddenly, her vision swimming as she saw quick bursts of their home, a shadow moving, shaped like Bulma. Gramma quickly let go as Vegeta studied her warily. "She's still there," Gramma breathed. "She's still in the house, isn't she?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "I think so," he answered, looking at the soup in front of him, still prodding it around with his spoon, ignoring Jenny's plea for him to eat. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't been hungry since the first day when Bulma hadn't called him.

Jenny remembered Vegeta talking to an empty room, her daughter staring off at nothing, following after nothing. "She's still there? How can this be?" She looked to her dad, "No wonder you can't eat or sleep." She saw him poking around at his food. "Dad, please eat something, you need your strength." She looked to Gramma, "What can we do? How do we bring her back? How did this happen to her?"

"Hard to say how to undo what's been done if we don't know what happened in the first place," Gramma answered, her mind racing. She stood and refilled Goku's bowl for him and ran her fingers through his hair as he tucked into his food once more. "You three wait here," Gramma said. "Let me see what I can come up with." And she disappeared from the room.

Vegeta sighed. This was hopeless and he'd been a fool to come here thinking that old woman would have all the answers. He finally took a bite of the soup, the flavors exploding in his mouth and a soft groan worked its way up from his throat. The little bit of food he'd forced himself to eat the day before tasted horrible as he tried to chew. But he suddenly found himself starving and he started eating in earnest, devouring every bit of food before him.

Jenny couldn't stop the sigh of relief from her as she watched her dad finally begin to eat. She looked at Goku who she could have sworn purred when Gramma ran her fingers through his hair. How often did he come here if she knew to make this particular soup, his favorite? She shook her head and ate her own soup, making sure Vegeta ate his. It disappeared quickly after that first bite and wordlessly she got up and refilled it for him to the brim. If this was the only meal he was going to eat, he was going to eat until he couldn't stand it anymore. Curious, she peered around the counters and spied the glass covered cake dish with a giant chocolate cake contained inside. It was perfect, just what Vegeta needed.

Vegeta couldn't believe how ravenous he was, even for a Saiyan. Bowl after bowl of the hot soup was quickly devoured, Jenny refilling it for him without either of them speaking a word. The crusty garlic bread helped fill him up and he found himself relaxing as he ate. Maybe this place wasn't so odd after all. And if Arthusia had somehow seen what he saw, Bulma's shadow ghosting about the house, and Gramma still didn't think he was crazy, then maybe something good would come of this visit. Vegeta was still eating even after Goku had declared himself stuffed. Vegeta didn't stop until all of the soup was gone and he finally found his stomach full. He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled through his nose. If nothing else, at least he felt better for a moment. Gramma had been gone for quite a while. He wondered vaguely what was taking her so long.

Jenny cleared the table off, going for the chocolate cake, after Vegeta had finished off the soup and the garlic bread, cutting generous slices for each Saiyan, before she set it down in front of them with an ice cold glass of milk. Already her dad was looking better, the air about him was more calm. She let out a steady sigh of relief; the food was doing the trick. Gramma normally blessed most of the food she ate, but judging by the Saiyans, she guessed that Gramma had taken extra time and care to make this soup. She cut a smaller portion of cake for her and Gramma before sitting down. "Just might leave you here Dad so I know you'll eat properly until we can find Bulma. You said something about shadows in the house earlier, didn't you?"

"Don't you dare leave me here alone with that woman," he snarled, pulling the cake closer and digging into it. He thought about the shadows and he tried to repress the shiver that shot up his spine. The past two nights were horrible, even with Alice's little bit of magick or power or whatever that was she had used. No one else had noticed the shadows, though. He'd dared to ask Trunks if he'd noticed anything odd going on in the house, but the only thing Trunks mentioned was he'd noticed some things had been moved around. But that could've been anyone messing with the objects in the house. "Yes," Vegeta answered, "I've seen odd things in the house. Shadows that are impossibly dark, moving around the bedroom. Alice saw them as well." He shook his head and finished off his cake. Gods, it chilled him to think of Bulma being like that. Was it even her? He had wondered if it a figment of his imagination, wanting her so badly that he was starting to imagine that she was there. But after Alice spent the night and now what happened with that note, he was convinced she was there.

Gramma reappeared in the doorway, holding her book open in her arms, but remained quiet as she listened to them talking. She wasn't entirely sure they'd even noticed her yet. She didn't like the sound of these shadows at all. She knew the stories of shadow people, but they usually didn't interact with the living that much.

Jenny propped her chin up in her hand. "Is there more than one? Or is it the same one? And is it Bulma or different?" She sighed, chewing on the chocolate cake thoughtfully, "How long since Bulma vanished?"

Goku finished with his cake, feeling utterly full and relaxed. "I'd hate to think of Bulma stuck like that and what's up with your mark Vegeta. You've been wincing since you showed up."

"Six days," Vegeta muttered. "She's been gone for six days." His hand went to cover his mark again. "It's gone cold," he answered. "So cold it burns. It's not dying, I know that much." He looked across the table at Jenny. "Sometimes it looks like her. But I've seen others and I don't know what they are. But they make my hair stand on end. They're not Bulma. Huge, black shadows that watch me, follow me. They are something completely different, just there to drive me insane."

Gramma finally stepped into the room, setting her book on the table. "Bulma or not, something from the other side is trying to communicate with you," Gramma said. "Shadow people can be unnerving to deal with. No one knows exactly what they are or where they come from. We know that they dwell in the spirit realm. Vegeta, you have to make contact with them. You have to communicate with them. It's no coincidence that they showed up right after your wife disappeared. There's a good chance they know what's happened to Bulma if that isn't her still there in the house."

Goku blinked at Arthusia, "Shadow people?"

Jenny looked at Gramma before casting a glance at Goku, "A kind of spirit, they live between this world and the next, trapped you could say. Unable to pass on to paradise, unable to come back to the world of the living." Her insides twisted, "Gramma...if..." She didn't want to voice it. If something had made Bulma into a shadow person. If someone had killed her and she was a shadow. There was no bringing her back. She shook her head, deciding that she would bring that up later, if they could get Vegeta to sleep, "A séance then?" She wondered how that would work with Vegeta running on fumes as it was, but with a full meal he should be better than he was, "What do we need to communicate with them?"

"No, not a séance," Gramma answered. "I am not opening a door to them. Not here or anywhere else. We are not inviting them in."

"Then how do you intend to communicate with them?" Vegeta asked. There was a nervousness coiling in his stomach that he tried to ignore.

Gramma fixed him with a stare. "Since we are not inviting them to come here to our realm, you are going to go to theirs," she answered.

Vegeta paled. He didn't like the sound of this at all. If Bulma was there and couldn't come back, then how was he expected to return? "You're nuts," he growled.

Jenny nodded, It would be bad to invite the spirits in, she had almost forgotten the horrifying experience with the Ouija board and the tape recorder. Definitely not again.

She looked to her dad and then at Gramma, "Meditation?" She saw how pale her dad looked, "It involves sending the subconscious into the realm while the body stays behind. He should be able to come back to us right?"

Goku frowned, "Does he have to go alone, can't we go with him? Can I go with him, you know, to have his back in case something goes wrong?"

Gramma smiled at Jenny. "Someone's been doing her homework." She looked at the Saiyans, "A guided meditation should work. He'll still be able to hear us and should be able to speak to us. He won't be trapped there."

Vegeta exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "What will I see?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Gramma shook her head slowly. "Whatever the spirits want you to see. Whatever it is they've been trying to tell you." She looked at Goku, "You could go with him. But things get a lot trickier that way. The spirits are trying to communicate with him. I think it's best if he goes alone." She got up from the table, picking her book up once more. "Come with me."

She led them down a hallway to a small room near the back of the house. Very few people had ever been allowed in this room. She opened the door, revealing walls lined with bookcases, holding all sorts of books and candles and jars of herbs. There was an altar there with candles and two little statues, a dagger, a wand. Gramma sat cross-legged on the floor, her back to the altar, and laid the book in her lap. The pillar candles on the bookcases suddenly sprang to life, making Vegeta jump. "Lie here," Gramma instructed, pointing at the floor before her.

"Barking mad," Vegeta grumbled, but moved to lay where Gramma had instructed him.

Jenny stopped short outside of the room, her eyes widening as she saw what it was and caught Goku's arm before he could follow them into the room. Even she knew how sacred that room was. She shook her head at Goku's confused look, "Not for us." She said from the doorway, peering inside. She looked all around, childhood memories coming back to her. She could remember wanting to go into that room before, smelling of incense, worn leather, oils, herbs. Gods she could get drunk off of that smell, but Vegeta was going to need to focus. With her and Goku in there, it would cloud the air.

Gramma motioned for them to sit down just outside the doorway. She gave Jenny another soft smile for being respectful. "Close your eyes," she said to Vegeta, who obeyed her words, even if he was feeling rather silly at the moment. Gramma looked to the doorway again, "Goku, Jenny, you may listen, but I need you to stay fully awake. Don't concentrate on my words too much when I put him under or you could go under too. Then we'd have a right mess on our hands. Stay conscious, understand?" She gave Goku a warning look. He had a tendency to doze off when he came to visit, especially after he'd eaten.

Goku looked sheepish, "Well, if your cooking wasn't so good, I wouldn't eat until I fell asleep!" He laughed, but covered his ears and motioned for Jenny to pinch his arm every so often.

Jenny shook her head and moved to pinch him, trying not to pay attention too much to the soft words coming out of Gramma's lips. It was going to be a challenge; she could listen to that voice all day long. She watched her dad. His eyes still had the incredibly dark circles under his eyes...she hoped that whatever he found on the other side would help him.

Vegeta felt himself starting to relax as Gramma spoke softly to him, an image starting to take shape in his mind. There was a huge building before him, old, crumbling, with huge pillars in front. The stairs, there were ten of them. He could hear Gramma's voice telling him that with each step everything around him became more real, more vivid. Vegeta was suddenly aware that he wasn't laying on a floor anymore. He was really standing there at the top of those stairs. There was a door before him. He could still hear Arthusia's voice as she told him to enter through the doorway.

"Let me know what you see when you enter," she said softly. She motioned that Goku could lower his hands.

Vegeta was silent for a moment, his breathing steady. "It's dark," he answered, his voice low and soft.

"Is there anyone there with you?" Gramma asked.

"No," he breathed. Vegeta's body twitched slightly, his head jerking the tiniest bit to his right. "Bulma..."

"Go talk to her," Gramma instructed, then sat back, closing her book, watching him. He went quiet and Gramma knew he was having a conversation with his wife in the other realm.

Vegeta couldn't believe his eyes. There, in the middle of that darkness, was his wife. "Bulma!" he cried and ran to her, trying to embrace her, but he found that his hands simply slipped through her form as if she was made of smoke. His eyes narrowed, "Who did this to you? Tell me what happened!"

Bulma blinked, gasping as she saw her husband. He could see her, really see her. Oh gods, she could only have hoped that this would happen. She had been so excited to find that Alice could see her and understand her, but it did little good.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, "Vegeta? Oh my god, Vegeta. It's so cold here. It's so cold here without you. It's like I'm freezing to death, but I don't die." She said sadly, wanting so much to feel his touch, but his arms passed through her body. She reached out, trying to cup his cheek with her hand, but felt nothing, "My dear heart, I miss you so. Six days and every second here is agony." She closed her eyes. There were voices all around her. "Someone came into our home. Two people. I was in our bedroom," A small smile tugged at her lips, "I was getting your treat ready for the night. I had strawberries. The champagne that you like and candles. I was just about finished when I turned and I saw them. Vegeta," Bulma pleaded, "She's back! Fasha and Enye are back. They cast some sort of spell on me... words I didn't understand." She let out a sob, "Vegeta they are making me count the days until the new moon."

Vegeta felt a rage surging through his system. He shouldn't have let Fasha go. He'd been weak, allowing her to escape with her life because of the child within her; a Saiyan child who should not have been punished for the actions of its mother. "Curse them," he snarled. "What does the new moon have to do with it?"

Bulma shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, but they turned to ice. "That's when their spell will be complete and I'll be trapped here forever, my love." She stepped close, trying to hold him, trying to rest her head on his chest. "I see you around the house. I tried to lay next to you, but you shivered so I couldn't and even in the shower. Gods Vegeta, please help me! I miss you so much. I'm...I'm scared here. Get me out of here. Please. I'll never ask another thing in my life; just get me out of here." She sobbed.

Vegeta's heart broke as he tried to hold onto her. She was like a blast of wintry air against his chest. The way the tears in her eyes crackled and froze. Now it made sense why his mark was so bitterly cold all the time. "So that was you," he breathed. "Bulma, look at me," he said, staring into her brilliantly blue eyes. Her lashes looked strange, white with frost. "I will get you out of here before the new moon. No one is going to steal my queen from me. NO ONE." He felt his lip curling, nearly baring his teeth at the thought. "Was that you that Alice saw?"

Bulma nodded, trying to crawl into the warmth, the fiery passion she saw in his eyes. "She saw me first, followed me down the hallway. I thought that maybe she could tell you where I was, what happened to me, but she is so young." Gods what she would give to just have Vegeta hold her. She longed to just soak in warmth, when she got out of this, she was definitely going to spend a month in the hot tub alone after this, "Vegeta, I'm going to keep following you. I'm nothing more than a shadow, but when you see me know that it's me. I'll never leave you and I regret nothing. I just..." She sniffled again, "I just wish I could hold you, just for another second. Just to be warm again."

"You will be warm again, princess," he whispered. "I promise you that. I will rescue you from this abyss and then I'll take you somewhere warm, just the two of us." His heart broke to hear her speaking about how cold she was. He tried to wrap his arms around her again; he couldn't feel where her shoulders were, but he could see it and he just held onto nothing, trying to will some of his own warmth into her. It wasn't working and she fell into a fit of shivers, unable to stop herself. "Arthusia's going to help us. If anyone can figure this out, it's her. I..." he paused and swallowed. He'd always had a hard time saying this to her, but not now. Not when this could be his very last opportunity to say it. "I love you, Bulma. With all my heart, I love you like I have loved no other. You will not stay in this realm for long, I swear it."

Bulma looked up at him, nodding at him, "And you I, my prince. I love you more than life itself. Don't..." She couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine, "Don't be late my love." She leaned up, her lips ghosting over his and she settled back down. "Tell the children I love them. I know you'll save me. You've never failed me before. I love you, I love you, I love you, " she said over and over.

"Bulma! Don't!" Vegeta cried as she began to shrink away from him, fading. "STAY WITH ME!" He sank to his knees, covering his face with his hands as she faded from view. "Don't leave me," he muttered miserably, wrapping his arms around himself. She wasn't exaggerating; it was mind-numbingly cold here. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the urge to cry. Enye. Fasha. He'd been too easy on them, too lenient, simply because they were female. Well, there would be no more of that. "ARTHUSIA!" Vegeta shouted to the darkness. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Get me out," came Vegeta's soft request.

Gramma sat up, looking down at him. It took almost as long to bring him out of the trance as it had to put him in it. Finally his eyes fluttered open and a hand went to his forehead as he blinked up at the ceiling. "Don't try to get up yet," Gramma said. "Let your body and your consciousness become one again. We don't need anything jarring your system."

Jenny watched with concern with Goku. He had been muttering throughout his trance.

Goku's eyes had narrowed, "Did you speak with Bulma, Vegeta? Is she alright?! What's happened to her?! Who put her there?"

Jenny put a hand on Goku's arm, looking at him, "Shh, let Vegeta get his bearings again." She felt sick. If Bulma really was trapped on the other side it wasn't good, but if they had the name of the one who put her there, maybe they could fix this.

Vegeta forced himself to sit up, his mind reeling. Gods, it felt like his heart was broken, seeing how lost, lonely and cold his mate was. He was breathing heavily, his anger welling up inside him. His hands clenched into fists, gritting his teeth. They would pay for this. They would pay DEARLY for this. Tricking him, injuring him or his friends in battle was one thing. But banishing his mate to that realm was lower than low. Unnecessary.

His eyes locked with Goku's, a fierce anger glowing there. "Enye," he snarled, his voice low, primal. A deep, feral growl issued from his throat, making him sound much more animal than man in that moment. "And Fasha."

"What!?" Goku and Jenny both exclaimed at once. Goku was on his feet an instant later, "You would think they would have been more grateful that we let them escape."

Jenny was livid, "Fasha." She seethed as she remembered what Catie and Trunks had told her. The woman had claimed she raped Vegeta and was pregnant with his child on the battlefield and escaped. She looked over at Vegeta, "How did they get into Capsule Corp…" She stopped herself and smacked her face, "The ball. All they had to fucking do was put on masks and they could get in."

"Bulma said she was in our bedroom when they appeared there," Vegeta answered, getting to his feet, trying to hang on to every word Bulma had said. "They cast a spell. She's... she's freezing. And we only have until the new moon." He started to pace, he couldn't think clearly in this room. The smells, the vibrations in the air were too much.

Gramma got to her feet and took him by the elbow, "Let's step outside and get some fresh air," she suggested, leading him out of the room before she shut the door behind her and lead them all out onto the porch.

Goku felt his blood coursing through his veins. Bulma, his dearest friend he had ever known. There to help him at every road block in his life. Who had spared no expense on the lawyer she hired so he could see his son. Who stood up to Chichi when she threatened to keep Goten from him. She had even helped him without question when his relationship with Tien and Sabriena had come to light. "We have to get her out of there! How could they attack her! She is not a fighter! She has no defense against magick or anything else!" He made himself sit down on the floor, lest he be up and pacing. He couldn't even sense Enye or Fasha. They must have been suppressing their energies. "Vegeta you said something about making Bulma count to the new moon. What was that about?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. She said they were making her count the days until the new moon," he answered and started pacing the room, raking his hands through his hair. He felt like his nerves were coming apart at the seams. "It was her that Alice saw in the house," Vegeta said. "And it is her shadow I see on the walls. I felt her in our bed." He paused and closed his eyes, swallowing harshly. The new moon wasn't very far away. A little more than a week at best. How was he supposed to find that witch and make her bring Bulma back in that amount of time? Another growl worked its way up from his throat. "They'll suffer for this," Vegeta vowed. "They will beg for death by the time I am finished with them."

Goku nodded, "Vegeta, let us help you. You can't do this alone."

Jenny nodded, but was still deep in thought, trying to figure out why they did not send one of the stronger people into the void between worlds. Unless they really wanted to watch them suffer. "What is stopping them from sending one of you into the void as well? Or another one of our loved ones?" She shuddered to think what would happen if they went after her girls or if they tried to cast it on Sabriena, Lindsey, hell, even Gramma, but that was a far shot and Gramma she knew could handle whatever they dished out.

"They aren't interested in any of you," Gramma answered Jenny's question. "This is about revenge. However you upset them, Vegeta, they targeted you specifically. This isn't even about Bulma. They're punishing you."

Vegeta gripped the railing of the porch, trying not to snarl again. "Because I wouldn't mate with her," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with anger. "Because I called Fasha out on her lies that it was not my child she carries. And now she's taking it out on my mate!" He started pacing again. "We have to find them, Kakarot. We have to get Bulma back. I won't rest until she's safe."

Goku nodded, "Where do we start looking?" He looked up at the sky, there was a moon to be seen, but it was waning. In a little while there would be no moon at all to be seen. A new moon. He sighed, "They are hiding. I can't find their energy anywhere."

Jenny bit her lip, "They could be hiding, not wanting to be found until after the new moon has passed, so they can't reverse the spell put on Bulma." She wanted to curse them, but knew better. "Gramma, could you do a spell to find them?"

"I can try to come up with something," she answered as she watched Vegeta; he looked exhausted, the poor man. "Jenny, dear, did you blessed Capsule Corp to protect it? And everyone else's homes?" She looked to Jenny, who nodded. She remembered Goku telling her the cabin had been blessed shortly after Sabriena had been kidnapped. "Who was with you when you did that blessing?"

Jenny thought back, "The other girls were with me at Tien's cabin. Leelee, Catie, Lindsey. Trunks, Tora and Seventeen were there to look after us while we rested after the blessing." She winced, "Did we need to go back with Sabriena... the five of us?" She could kick herself if that was the case.

Goku looked to Vegeta, "Hey, you should rest while Gramma works up something so we can find them. You don't want to be less than your best when we face them. They won't get away with this."

"Sabriena's power is light, is it not?" Gramma asked and Goku nodded. "That explains why they chose to turn her into a shadow." She looked to Jenny again, "Yes, you should have had Sabriena with you. I know at the time, that wasn't possible, and that putting up the protection you did was better than nothing. You'll have to do it again with Sabriena and this time, not just Tien's home, but all of your homes. Then no one will be able to do this again." Gramma shook one of her clove cigarettes out of the pack and lit it. "He's right, Vegeta," Gramma said, "A few hours sleep would do you some good."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You expect me to go lie down while Bulma is out there cold and alone, unable to rest? She said she feels like she's freezing to death, but she can't die. How do you expect me to turn off my thoughts long enough to rest? If I don't save her before the blasted new moon, she'll be stuck there forever!"

Jenny closed her eyes, mentally slapping herself. It was her fault Bulma was trapped as a shadow. After they had gotten Sabriena back, she should have insisted that they all went around to the homes of friends and loved ones to do it once more. Then once again at Tien's cabin so Sabriena could add her own protection to it. "A little belladonna should put you right to sleep." She muttered as she sighed. She didn't know if she would be able to sleep either if it were her own mate, her children stuck in there. "But you won't be sleeping until the new moon, just a few hours while we work on finding them, Then we use Goku to take us right to those wretches and make them sorry for ever daring to hurt Bulma."

A new idea hit her, then, "Dad. You can feel what Bulma feels right? Through your mating mark? Isn't the reverse as true as well? She feels what you feel?"

Vegeta shrugged. Bulma hadn't been able to draw any warmth from him when he had been in that void. Normally, Jenny would have been correct. But now, he wasn't sure.

"Go lay down," Gramma instructed. "Either way, it couldn't hurt."

Jenny looked at her father. "Dad, how you were connected to Bulma in the realm, and how you are connected to her out here are two very different things. Out here, it's not blinding cold. Go take a hot bath, keep her in mind and try to convey that to her in the water, through your mark."

"The only thing I'm interested in is finding Fasha and Enye," Vegeta answered firmly. "I'm not taking a damn bath or going to sleep. I said NO."

Gramma shook her head. Stubborn ass. Couldn't he see he was no good to any of them or the situation if he was dead exhausted on his feet? "You'll take the tea Jenny makes for you and you'll go to sleep, or I'm not helping you."

"You wouldn't dare," Vegeta breathed, fixing her with an intense stare.

Gramma rose to her feet, standing nose to nose with him. "You want to call my bluff? I daresay that is a mistake you will sorely regret young man," she answered coolly, her own gaze just as intense as his.

Vegeta stared hard at her for a long minute. "Fine," he muttered, seeming to deflate in front of Gramma. "Fine, give me the damn tea and I'll rest."

Gramma looked rather proud of herself in that moment. "Good. Jenny, go make him some tea and then show him to the upstairs bedroom. Goku and I will wait out here for you."

Jenny nodded and led Vegeta back into the house, moving around the kitchen as if she had lived there her entire life. She got the tea brewing as quickly as she could, grabbing up the amber colored bottle of belladonna and taking a pinch of the plant and putting it into a tea cup. It wasn't long before she was pouring the fragrant tea into the cup, stirring it up and mixing everything together. She wondered if Gramma would want to read his tea leaves. "Here," she said as she handed the steaming cup to her dad, watching as he barely paused to blow on the tea before he swallowed it all down, still looking fierce and deadly as ever. She hoped that he would be able to find some measure of peace, some sleep. Here, the shadows would not dare to venture. She was certain that having Vegeta exhausted was part of Enye and Fasha's plan. Far easier to fight a tired Saiyan than one that had plenty of rest. They were going to be in for a nasty surprise. She left the tea cup on the table and led her dad upstairs to the guest bedroom.

Fresh linens, the faint scent of lavender and a dream catcher hanging in the window, the very essence of the room could lull someone to sleep. She turned the bed covers down for him, "We will get her back, Dad. They will suffer for what they've done."

Vegeta kicked off his boots and nodded, climbing wordlessly into the bed, which seemed to swallow him up. He closed his eyes as Jenny pulled the blankets over his shoulder. Jenny was just turning to leave when Vegeta suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Jennifer." He didn't know what to say. He felt he should say something, thank her for caring enough to bring him here, to try to help him. "Your mother wanted me to tell you she loves you." He locked eyes with her for a moment, holding her gaze, before he released her hand and turned his back to her, falling almost instantly to sleep.

Jenny couldn't stop the soft smile that tugged at her lips, tears gathering in her eyes. They were going to get Bulma back and those women were going to regret doing this. She couldn't stand to see her father like this. Exhausted, worried and not himself. How many times had she depended on him? She turned back to him to make sure he was tucked in before she headed back downstairs, leaving the door open a crack.


	8. The Goddess of Lost Souls

Gramma sat back down in her chair on the porch, losing herself in thought. How to find these women? It would be no easy task. They were hiding, no doubt protected by spells of their own. They weren't foolish, that much was certain. They'd singled out the one person who couldn't protect herself against them, found a way to directly target Vegeta and provoke him to anger, and had slipped past the Jenny's protective spell based simply on the fact that she had not taken the other girls with to reinforce those spells with their own elements. No, they were smart, and they wouldn't be found easily at all. Gramma looked up when Jenny came out onto the porch again. "Is he sleeping?" she asked.

Jenny nodded, handing over the teacup before moving to sit down in the rocking chair next to Gramma's on the porch, watching as Goku paced around on the wooden deck, the sunlight waning fast and the first stars appearing. She looked around and spotted a lantern with a candle in it. She picked up Arthusia's matches and lit the little thing, casting a warm light over the porch. "Calm down, Goku," she said, looking over at him.

Goku would not be calm with his best friend kidnapped, Vegeta was a mess. It was too soon after Sabriena had been kidnapped. These women would pay dearly. They would mess up sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. They seemed like the kind to taunt; perhaps they would wait until the days were up and try to drive Vegeta crazy trying to find them while time ran out. They needed the upper hand this time. No more games, no more tricks.

Gramma took the teacup and looked into it, frowning. "What? I can't..." Gramma turned the cup, trying to understand what it was. The odd shape at the bottom of the cup, she didn't recognize it. "Is that a wolf?" she asked more to herself than to either of them. It looked like the profile of some type of animal. A predator. It was right at the bottom of the cup, with no other symbols anywhere in the cup. "No, that's not a wolf. Is it an ape?" she muttered, squinting into the cup. She was stumped. "I don't know what this means," she said.

Jenny blinked at Gramma, exchanging a look with Goku. "An ape?" she asked, "An ape or a monkey?" Jenny's head was spinning. It was all a puzzle and the pieces were starting to come together. She looked up at the sky puzzling over it all. An ape. Saiyan's turned into giant monkeys on the night of the full moon. Well only the ones with their tails still attached, like Vegeta and Tora. Or Fasha and Durian, who had escaped with them. She worried her lip, thinking about the new moon. There wasn't much a moon tonight. The masquerade ball had been held the night after the full moon. "Vegeta could turn into a giant ape if he looks at the full moon."

"Oh, that's right! You told me about that," Gramma said, looking at Goku. Gramma couldn't picture either of these handsome men transforming into anything like that. "Is Vegeta transforming into one of these a good thing or a bad thing? Does it somehow affect Bulma? I'm not understanding the connection. Unless they knew he couldn't transform since the full moon is past. Could that be it?"

Goku tipped his head to the side, thinking it over. "That might be their plan. It could be that they're afraid of Vegeta in his transformed state. But then again, Fasha would be able to use that form, too, which could be an advantage. Unless she realizes that Vegeta is a lot stronger than she is. But then again, she knows magick and he doesn't. That could even the odds." He growled and threw his hands up. "I don't know. I give up."

"Maybe I'm grasping at straws with this thing," Gramma said thoughtfully and set the cup back down. She studied Goku for a moment, feeling the frustration emanating from him. This was hitting too close to home for him at the moment. "We're going to find Bulma," Gramma reassured him. "Turning a human into a shadow person," she muttered, shaking her head. "I've never heard of such a thing. It's not right. People don't belong there." She set her features firmly, and continued, "Either we will find them or we'll figure out a way to lure them out to you." She paused and looked at Goku, "You can't do your little disappearing trick and find them, can you?"

Goku shook his head, feeling more miserable the more Gramma talked. People didn't belong there she said. Vegeta said Bulma was so cold, hoping for a death that never came. He shuddered. He hated the cold himself; he couldn't imagine being so cold he wanted to die and he couldn't imagine a worse hell at the moment. "I've been trying, but their energy is no where to be found. Damn it! Bulma shouldn't have to suffer at the hands of our enemies! SHE'S DEFENSELESS!"

Jenny winced, it was rare to hear Goku speak in anger towards anyone. But these people, oh, did they ever do it this time. "They can't have disappeared. No one is that good. People make mistakes, especially in anger and through revenge. There has to be a trace of them somewhere. They would have to be uncloaked to cast a spell, which means if they vanished, once they casted the spell on Bulma, they used another one to disappear. Would they have had to been in Capsule Corp to cast that spell, or could they have done it from anywhere?"

Gramma shook her head. "They could've cast it from anywhere," she answered. "But for it to really be effective, they would have had to have something of hers. A piece of hair, a picture, something she valued." Gramma leaned back in her chair, dragging on her cigarette. "I imagine they were in the house. Isn't that what Vegeta said?" She was trying to think of the best way to approach this, but her head was foggy. Vegeta's hurt and anger was gone now that he was sleeping, but Goku's was overwhelming her senses now. "Goku, come here," she said firmly, pointing to a spot on the porch next to her chair. "Sit here."

Jenny watched, amazed, as Goku obediently went to Gramma's side and put his head in her lap. Not unlike what she used to do when she was a little girl visiting the woman. She blinked when Goku calmed as Gramma slipped her hands into the black hair, the unmistakable sound of purring filled the air, a calm settling over the porch. She shook her head. "Gramma you have a way," she chuckled, leaning back on her elbow and thinking. "Would you mind terribly if I made a few energy draughts for them? I think Vegeta is going to need it. Gods know when we will be able to get him to sleep again. Maybe something for a peace of mind, too."

"That's fine, dear," Gramma answered. "You know your way around the kitchen. You go right ahead while I try to figure this all out." She focused on Goku for a moment, willing a calm, peaceful energy into him. She would never have forced it on him, but he didn't resist and she smiled. His head grew heavier in her lap. "Now," Gramma said once Jenny went into the house, her voice soft and soothing, "getting this upset isn't going to fix anything. I know Bulma's your friend. But first and foremost, she's Vegeta's mate. HE is the one who gets to be upset. YOU need to stay calm and help with whatever plan we come up with." She massaged his scalp with her fingers, letting her nails lightly scratch at him, smiling at the feel of his thick, silky hair in her hand. "Now just calm down, darling."

Goku felt the calm washing over him. "I know," he said, almost a whisper, "I can't stand to see anyone hurting, to see Vegeta like this, to know Bulma is suffering and we can't do anything. It hurts so much." He sighed and snuggled into her leg, peering up at her with an eye, looking her into her rich full, knowing eyes. "You said I was a keystone, I need to help Vegeta. He's helped me so much. I feel like I don't know anything half the time. It's my turn to protect him and I feel like my hands are tied."

"Stoppit," she said and gave his cheek a tiny slap before she slid her hand back into his hair. "I'm tired of hearing about you thinking you're worthless, that you don't know anything. You're brilliant in your own right, love. You don't have to be the best at everything." She sighed. "I wish I knew what spell they used to cast Bulma into that realm. I'd try to counter it, but... well... you all know my magick is different than theirs, than the powers the girls have. Luckily, the rules that apply to my magick seem to apply to theirs." Gramma smiled as she rubbed Goku's neck just behind his ear and he pressed his neck up into her touch, purring louder. "Are you certain you're not part cat instead of part monkey?"

He chuckled, "Perhaps I am." He sighed, trying to sort out all of this thoughts. "There has to be something we are missing. Their magick has to follow rules like yours, yet they don't seem to be too concerned about angering the gods. There has to be a mistake there. A loophole."

"The Gods..." Gramma muttered, the wheels in her head starting to turn. "The Gods! Oh!" she cried, excitedly tapping her hand rapidly on Goku's head. "You clever little Saiyan!" She jumped up and hurried into the house. She returned a short time later, carrying not her usual Book of Shadows, but a small, old paperback. She sat down in her chair and began to read, absentmindedly running her fingers through Goku's hair again.

Goku was left blinking on his own for only a minute, wondering what it was he had said, but then found himself back in Arthusia's lap once again, her fingers going nonstop through his hair. He gave up trying to figure it out and closed his eyes, purring loudly, listening to her mutter to herself, enjoying the smell of cloves and the old paper.

Jenny came out a moment later. "The potions are cooling, but what was that whirlwind I saw?"

"We're going to appeal to the Gods," Gramma answered. "I just need to figure out which one would be most sympathetic to helping you all out." She thumbed through the paperback, pausing here and there to read.

* * *

Gramma read for quite a long time, enjoying the night sounds, listening to Goku's purr, holding a light conversation with Jenny as she read through her book. The front door banged open as Vegeta stepped out onto the porch. He certainly felt better now that he'd had a couple hours of sleep and a full stomach. He paused and looked down his nose at Goku, who was still purring loudly, a sleepy look on his face. "You have no shame, do you, Kakarot?"

Goku blinked his eyes open, peering up at Vegeta, hunkering down into the folds of Gramma's skirt as if to say "mine" before he closed his eyes again, purring louder than before.

Jenny threw her head back and laughed, "Definitely a cat. I've never seen him act like this before." She looked her father over, the circles under his eyes were faded and he seemed to have his energy back, "You look better."

"I feel better," he answered, not taking his eyes from Goku. "Worst excuse for a Saiyan I've ever seen."

Without warning, Gramma swung her arm in Vegeta's direction, her paperback slapping his ass with a resounding SMACK. "Now you stop that!" she scolded, pointing a finger at him. "Goku here just gave me an idea to save your mate. So you leave him be."

Vegeta's face went red, his eyes wide as he stared at the old woman in disbelief. "I... you... I ought to..." he stammered.

Gramma already had her nose back in her book. "Ought to what? Tell Bulma on me? Too bad. She already gave me permission." She smiled into the book for a moment before she handed it to Jenny. "What do you think of this goddess? Kiaona."

Jenny took the book, a grin on her face. Goku quietly snickered into Gramma's dress, looking up at Vegeta's beet red face. Jenny shook her head, really she couldn't wait to be an old woman herself to be able to terrorize the young men of the earth without any repercussions. She looked to the page Gramma had handed her the book and read, "The goddess of lost souls. Sounds like you hit the bulls eye on this one. You think she will be willing to help them out? Bulma is before her time, I'm sure."

"It's worth a try," Gramma said, taking the book back and staring at the page. "I don't quite understand this part though."

Oh gods, that didn't sound reassuring. Vegeta backed up to lean against the support beam of the porch. "What?" he asked.

"This is talking about a spell to summon the goddess Kaiona. Goddesses are usually invoked, or called upon. Not summoned. I wonder if that was a wording error." Gramma chewed her lip for a moment, considering. "Well, whatever happens, she's supposed to be a kind and loving goddess. I don't think she'd be provoked to anger too easily."

Jenny uttered a laugh. "Key word there 'supposed.' Let's hope she didn't have any plans for the evening then." She stood up, "What do we need to summon her?"

Goku finally sat up when Gramma stopped threading her hands through his hair and he leaned against the railing of the porch, crossing his legs. "What if she isn't kind and loving? Is there any defense against a god?"

Gramma laughed. "You all act like she's going to appear right here on the porch!" She shook her head. "Hopefully, she'll hear our request and help us figure out where these people are hiding. At best, she may appear to us in our dreams." She looked at the book again. "According to this, we don't need anything special. I just have to read aloud this little verse. We don't even have to cast a circle. What an odd little book this is. I don't even remember when or where I got it."

Gramma walked to the end of the porch, facing the west and spoke, "E Kaiona aloha I kuhia mai ke `ala." She spoke it twice more, getting a little louder each time before she closed the little book and let her eyes fall shut as a warm breeze began to blow. She gave a satisfied nod and returned to her chair.

Vegeta waited, expecting to feel something. Hear something. But there was nothing, save for a little white bird that landed on the west porch railing. "Well that was anticlimactic," he stated in a bored tone.

Jenny gave her dad a look. "Shush. She'll smack you in the ass again. Don't be disrespectful." She felt something, a change in the wind as Gramma's voice faded into the night. "Gramma just finished saying she would appear to us in our dreams if we are lucky. We might get an idea, a notion or something as to how to help Bulma or find Enye and Fasha."

Goku looked around, feeling the warm breeze; there was something to it he was sure of it. He stood up, walking down the steps and looking around for a moment. He could see a distant light house, the warm salty air swirling around him, "Well, those words did something I suppose! What happens if we accidentally woke the goddess from a nap or something?"

"Then you apologize and hope she isn't a cranky goddess," came a warm voice from the end of the porch, making all of them jump.

Vegeta's defenses immediately went up, his body tensing, preparing to attack if necessary.

The young woman before him smiled kindly. "You have nothing to fear from me, Saiyan prince," she assured him in a sweet, soft voice as she stepped closer. Gramma felt like she could've been knocked over with a feather. The woman walking towards her looked Hawaiian, she wore a crown of brightly colored hibiscus flowers atop her long dark hair. "And no, I wasn't napping, Goku. But thank you for your concern," she smiled as the little white bird perched on her shoulder. She looked around at their shocked expressions, "Well don't look so surprised. You did summon me here, did you not?"

Jenny's eyes went wide and she would have taken a step backwards if she wasn't frozen to the spot. She was afraid. A goddess, a real goddess, was stand right there.

Goku's eyes went wide, but he didn't raise his power level. He felt no threat from this woman. He took a tentative step forward, looking at the bird on her shoulder and then back to her, "Oh wow… Kiaona?"

Jenny got her wits about her and looked back at Gramma, "So… we must all be dreaming and having the same dream, right?"

Gramma pinched Jenny's arm sharply and Jenny yelped in pain. "No, we're not dreaming," she answered.

Kaiona smiled at Goku, "Yes, that is my name. I am the goddess of lost souls. I offer guidance for anyone who is lost in body or soul."

Vegeta's heart hammered in his chest. If this woman was who she said she was, perhaps this was his answer to getting his mate back. Surely she was powerful enough bring Bulma back from the other realm. He wanted to ask, there were so many questions, but his mouth seemed dry and his throat felt like there was something stuck in it.

Goku looked to Vegeta, who looked like a fish, his mouth hanging open. He gathered his courage and stepped back up on the porch, suddenly overcome with the feeling to just sit, so he did, crossing his legs, looking up at the beautiful woman. "We are looking for a dear friend," he said and looked to Vegeta. "His other half. His wife, his mate. Our have to find her. She was taken from us six days ago. Her name is Bulma. Can you help us?"

Jenny's eyes went wide. Goku was so up front about what they wanted. Didn't they have to offer the goddess something first before they asked anything of her?!

Kaiona's chin tipped up slightly. "Bulma," she repeated, nodding slowly. "I know Bulma. I've seen where she is. Horrible, wretched place."

"You have?" Vegeta asked, a little too eagerly.

Kaiona gave a nod. "She's in the realm between realms. The creatures that dwell there are... cursed. Neither living nor dead, they wander in that frigid void, sometimes coming close to this realm, but never quite close enough. She does not belong there," Kaiona said softly.

"Then how do we get her out?" Vegeta asked.

"You must find the ones who put here there in the first place," Kaiona answered simply.

Vegeta slapped a hand to his forehead, momentarily forgetting that he was in the presence of an actual goddess. "Don't you think we'd have done that already if we knew how?!" he growled. His eyes went wide and he covered his mouth, looking terrified.

Jenny's eyes went wide and she spluttered out, "Please! He didn't mean that! Bulma is his mate; he isn't… he's lost without her. He didn't mean to insult you! What he meant was that we've been trying everything to think of a way to find them. We cannot sense the women who took her. We can't think of anything… any loophole or otherwise to find a way to figure out where they are hiding. If we do not find her before the new moon, we will lose her."

Goku nodded; he had also realized Vegeta's mistake. "Please dont get mad at him. Punish me in his place, but please help them first!"

Kaiona held up a hand to silence them.

Gramma actually trembled, her face going white. Insulting a goddess? Oh, what a fool this man was.

Kaiona turned to Vegeta. "I know you are stressed. I will let it slide this time. But do not mistake my kindness for weakness, prince." Her voice was still warm, even if she spoke a bit more firmly. "Even the powers of the gods can be limited at times. I will help you as best I can."

Gramma heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she breathed. She composed herself, speaking carefully. "Is there anything you can do to bring Bulma back to this world?"

Kaiona looked a little sad. "I cannot. The souls of the living or the dead are not supposed to be there unless the Fates curse them so. That realm is beyond my control. But I can help you find the ones who took her."

Jenny actually felt real real fear that Vegeta was going to be stricken from this earth for even uttering that simple phrase to this goddess. Fear had risen in her chest, words on her lips like Goku to put herself into harms way. He was being stupid, but then she would be stupid too if her mate was ripped from her.

Goku offered a smile to the goddess. "Please, anything you can do will help us. If we can find them, we can do the rest. We just need to know where to find them before the new moon. I don't want to see anyone hurting, not after we went through so much in the war. We lost a dear friend that day, I can't lose another now." He shook his head and shut up.

Kaiona reached up and picked up the little bird on her shoulder, cradling it in her hands. She brought her hands to her mouth, whispering to it so quietly that none of them could hear. She walked to the edge of the porch and opened her hands as the bird spread its wings and took to the sky. "The birds will search for them. Enye will be held accountable for the things she's done. The Fates are most displeased with her," Kaiona said. "I would appeal to them to bring Bulma out of the void, but they have already assisted you before. They will not do so again."

Jenny watched as the bird flew away, not believing her eyes as it grew smaller on the horizon, seemingly splitting into many birds at once, flying out in many different directions. She remembered the Fates, bringing Gohan back from the dead, righting the wrongs bestowed upon this world after the Atlantians had flooded it. She held her tongue. They had not asked for the Fates' assistance, it had been freely given, but she wouldn't revoke that for anything. Bulma was still alive and they could get her back as long as they figured out where Enye was hiding.

Goku nodded, "Any help is welcome. We are one step closer to finding her. That's enough for me." He looked to his fellow Saiyan, "See Vegeta? We're going to get her back."

Vegeta nodded, too terrified to speak again, lest he insult the goddess twice. But deep down, he felt more than grateful for her help.

"What can we do to show our gratitude?" Gramma asked humbly.

"No need," Kaiona answered. "They do enough to protect this world as it is. They make my job easier. Were it not for them, there would be many more lost souls. I shall return in a few days if I hear of any news." She looked to Vegeta and Goku, "You should take this time to rest. You're going to need it."

Vegeta blinked at her, wanting to argue. Days? Did she say days? He didn't know if he could make it through the next hour without Bulma, much less a few more days. He swallowed harshly, folding his arms across his chest and looked out into the yard and at the sea beyond.

Jenny bowed her head, "My dear goddess, if I may ask, is there anyway to send a message to Bulma? To ease her soul that we are coming for her or if there is any way for her prince to bring her comfort. He said she was so cold. Is there not any way to warm her? I'm willing to give some of my own body heat, share it with her."

Kaiona smiled. "That's very kind of you, Jennifer. But as I said, the shadow realm is just barely out of my reach. She knows he is coming for her." The Hawaiian goddess walked to the end of the porch where she'd first appeared. "You will hear from me before the new moon." And with that, she vanished.

Vegeta slumped to the floor, his knees shaking. He suddenly looked up at Arthusia. "I thought you said she'd come to us in a dream! Not appear here on the damn porch!"

Gramma narrowed her eyes right back, "Well that just goes to prove you never stop learning, even at my age. And honestly, Vegeta, snapping off like that to a goddess? What the hell were you thinking?!"

Goku shook his head. "He was startled is all. Anyone of us would have done the same if we were in his shoes. It's done. He won't do it again. She said we should rest. Vegeta, get back upstairs and sleep. If Bulma really is in the shadow realm following you around, then it would be good for her to lay in that bed up there with you while you sleep."

Vegeta couldn't deny that he was feeling exhausted again. He got to his feet and stared at Gramma. "I didn't do it on purpose," he growled as he passed her and disappeared into the house.

Jenny looked to Gramma, "Well, after that little fiasco, I think I could use a midnight margarita."

Gramma's eyes lit up at Jenny's suggestion of Margaritas. She grinned and threw an arm around Jenny's shoulders. She grabbed Goku's hand and tugged him to stand. "Let's see what happens when you get a Saiyan drunk," she laughed and led them into the house.


	9. Just One More

Piccolo frowned at his daughter who was currently ignoring him completely. "Paige, I'm serious," he stated firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's time to pick up your toys. You were supposed to be in bed two hours ago, young lady. Just because your mother isn't home yet doesn't mean you get to ignore me." She had every single toy she owned strewn across her bedroom floor. And with as spoiled as Paige was, that was a LOT of toys. He wasn't even sure if he could walk across her room without twisting his ankle.

Paige happily ignored her father, banging her barbie dolls together and making them fly through the air. "FINAL FLASH!" she roared before she threw one of the dolls on the floor. "I have defeated you!" she said, the other doll still held in the air. "No! No! No!" she cried, making the doll on the floor flop around pitifully.

Piccolo slapped a hand to his face and groaned. "You spend too much time with Vegeta," he deadpanned. He could feel a muscle in his jaw ticking, his frustration with his daughter growing. "Paige, I mean it. Get this mess picked up so you can go to bed."

"No bed!" she argued, turning her doll towards him and moving its arms to stick straight towards him. "FINALLLLL…"

"Don't you dare," he growled dangerously and she lowered the doll to her lap, pouting. A smirk touched his lips as he suddenly felt Jenny's and Goku's energies appear on the Lookout. "Now you're in trouble." He went to the door and hollered for his wife as Goku's energy disappeared. "Jenny! Would you care to get in here and straighten your daughter out? She won't listen to me!"

Jenny felt worn out, her spirit, her strength. She heard her husband call to her and she sighed. Couldn't he handle the kids for at least twenty-four hours? She went to their bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, looking down at the floor that was covered with toys. "Paige…" she started, in no mood to deal with her daughter's attitude tonight, "I've told you to listen to your father when I'm gone."

Paige shook her head without looking at her mother, her pink curls flying. She held her dark-haired doll in the air. "Super Saiyan!" she cried and quickly swapped it out with a blonde doll. "HAAAAA!"

"I told you she's spending too much time with Vegeta," Piccolo muttered in Jenny's ear. He looked at his daughter and slowly shook his head, not knowing what to think anymore. Alice had already gone to sleep a long time ago. She was so tired that even Paige's yelling hadn't woken her.

Jenny frowned at her oldest daughter before she gave her husband a small smile, "You still haven't learned." She went out again, towards the kitchen and pulled out one of the dark trash bags that was hefty enough to withstand her daughters wrath. She went back to her daughters bedroom and made a show of opening the bag before she looked down at the toy ridden floor, "Okay, every toy I pick up and put in this bag is going to Goodwill in the morning."

Paige's eyes widened in horror. "NOOOOO!" she wailed and began to frantically grab up her toys, throwing them into her toy box as fast as possible. Her little hands were a blur as barbie dolls and my little ponies went flying. Mommy wasn't joking. Mommy meant business.

Piccolo's brow raised as his daughter turned into a little cleaning tornado. "Impressive," he said quietly to his wife. It was almost comical the way Paige cried the word "no" over and over as she cleaned her room. Piccolo had to bite his lips together to keep himself from snickering. Jenny was definitely better at "encouraging" Paige than he was. He leaned over to his wife, kissing her cheek. "Thank you," he murmured.

Paige made a dramatic show of wiping her forehead when she was done. "Phew!" she cried, then beamed up at her parents. "All clean!" She giggled at the expressions on her parents' faces. "Uh, love you!" she squeaked and ran for her bed, diving under the big pink comforter to hide and giggle some more.

Jenny shook her head and put the garbage bag down before she went over to sit on Paige's bed, "Honey, you need to respect your father more when I'm not here. If you don't, he might start sending toys to Goodwill." She leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek and tucked her in and went over to check on Alice, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked exhausted and she would be willing to bet that she hadn't slept at all those two days she had been at Capsule Corp.

Jenny lead the way back outside of the girl's room looking at Piccolo and took his hand as she led him to their room. She sighed heavily when they arrived and she sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face with her hands. "I'm not even sure where to start with this one."

Piccolo sat next to his wife, inclining his head towards her in concern. She'd mentioned a couple days ago that Bulma had left Capsule Corp and no one knew where she was. He'd asked Dende if he knew what had happened or if he could find Bulma somehow in case everyone was getting worked up over nothing, but even the Guardian couldn't track her down. Now, seeing the worry on Jenny's face, Piccolo was prepared to hear the worst. "Did you find out anything about Bulma?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, we found her. Sort of." She leaned against him sighing, "Enye and Fasha did something to her. They trapped her into this, this shadow world." She trembled, "We can't get her out. Gramma invoked, she summoned a goddess. I'm not sure how smart that was, but she appeared to us and said she would find Bulma's captors. Enye and Fasha. When we have them, we can make them undo what they did."

"Wait, wait," Piccolo said, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. "Enye and Fasha attacked Bulma?" There was a dangerous note to his voice as memories of his own daughter being kidnapped by the Atlantians swam in his mind. "Cowards. They always go after the ones who have no chance of defending themselves." He paused again, then dropped his hand and looked at his wife. "What do you mean, Arthusia summoned a goddess? And how do we find Enye?"

Jenny shook her head, "She thought she was doing a spell where the goddess would come to us in our dreams. Give us guidance on how to help Bulma. She didn't. She summoned the goddess right to the porch. Said she was going to do us a favor for all of the work that Goku and Vegeta had been doing to save the planet. She sent off these, birds, saying they would scour the planet looking for Enye and Fasha."

Piccolo felt only slightly better at that. "At least this goddess is on our side," he murmured. He frowned at the look on his wife's face and wrapped his arm around her, rubbing at her shoulder. "Bulma will be fine," he assured her. "We'll find them. We always do. Although, this little ploy of theirs is getting rather old. You'd think they could come up with something new."

Jenny gasped against her husband and tried to stop the tears that gathered in her eyes, "She's freezing there, Piccolo. She's so cold, Dad said that her tears had frozen to her cheeks." She rubbed at her eyes, "And if she stays there until the new moon, she will be trapped there forever."

"That's not very far away," Piccolo said quietly. "But why Bulma? She's not a threat to them. And if this is some sort of way to punish Vegeta, that doesn't make sense either. He let that female Saiyan go, even after all of her lies and her tricks. If anything, she should be thanking him for sparing her life, not trying to make him miserable for it."

Jenny snorted and looked at him, "Right, from everything that we have seen from these people, they would thank us for freeing them. They hate us. They hate everything we are and they delight in the pain they cause. Its not fair! We should have destroyed them a long time ago. We should have destroyed them when we had the chance."

Piccolo nodded and wrapped his arms tighter around his wife. "You're right. We won't make the same mistake again. Next time we encounter them, we're taking them out." He kissed her forehead and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I promise you, this is the last time they will mess with our family."

She nodded, leaning into his touch a moment before she looked up to his dark eyes. She smiled faintly as her heart fluttered, "So, you know, this whole thing has gotten me thinking again. Do you remember that conversation we had a while back before the war? About making our family one bigger?"

Piccolo's eyes widened a bit as the memory of that conversation came back to him. Gramma Arthusia had sparked that particular idea and they'd agreed to wait until after the war to discuss it. Truth be told, he hadn't had a whole lot of time to think about it with everything else that had happened over the past few weeks. "I remember," he answered. He cleared his throat, uncertain as to where this conversation was going exactly. "What were your thoughts on the matter?"

Jenny smiled at him, "I think I would be willing to try. Though, you might end up with another daughter." She threaded her fingers with his and looked down at the stark contrast between them, "I want to try to give you a son." She said, "I mean, I might lose my mind. Three kids? But what do you want to do?"

Piccolo smiled at the idea of having his own son. He squeezed Jenny's fingers in his own, his smile widening to show his fangs. "Let's go for it," he said softly and leaned in to kiss her. He felt an unexpected excitement well up within him. This would be the first child they had decided to conceive, not just a "happy accident" like Paige and Alice had been. He broke the kiss with her, leaning his forehead against hers. "Do you want to start trying right away?" he asked hopefully.

"Gonna get right to it, aren't you?" She said with a giggle, "You really like the idea of a son, don't you? I don't see why we should wait, better to hurry up and do it now before something else comes along that is going to try to destroy the world as we know it." She got up and went to close the door, tugging her shirt off as she came back to him and sat down in his lap, "If that works for you? Damn fertile Namek."

He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You'll be pregnant by morning," he snickered and pulled her closer, burying his face into her cleavage as his hands ran over her back. What had gotten into him? Why did the idea excite him so? He decided not to question it as he unhooked her bra and cast it aside, moving quickly to capture her nipple in his mouth.

She threw her head back and hissed in pleasure as he did, that talented tongue of his swirling around her flesh, his sharp fangs teasing the sensitive nub. She wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him to her so she could lick and nibble at his antennae. The thought that she was doing this, knowing she was going to be pregnant again after they had both sworn off the idea ever again, it excited her in a way she didn't know it could. Maybe it was just the act of deciding this. The first child they wanted to have together.

Jenny would never, ever regret her baby girls. Never in a million years, but something about knowing it was going to happen sent a thrill down her spine, "Gods I want you. I want you in me, filling me up. I want to be heavy with this child for you."

Piccolo gave a violent shiver at her words and moved to lay her on the bed, quickly stripping himself of his clothing before he helped her out of her own. Something about her words just set his blood on fire as his eyes drank in the vision of her nude form on the bed. He crawled onto the bed with her, settling himself between her legs before he grabbed the backs of her knees and pushed her legs up. He leaned down and dragged his tongue over her core, moaning at the taste of his wife. "Oh gods," he breathed before he sealed his lips around her, teasing her with his tongue.

Jenny writhed on the bed, gasping out in pleasure as Piccolo licked, nibbled and drank from her center. "Oh gods, yes baby. Right there," she cried and raked her fingernails over his back. She loved the feeling of his muscles underneath his skin, how powerful he was. She reached back up and massaged his scalp, twirling her fingers around the tips of his ears and his antennae, "Gods yes, Piccolo. Please! I can't wait."

His whole body went rigid for a moment as she teased his antennae, his eyes rolling back in his head as he gave her one last long suck. His cock throbbed as he pulled back from her, admiring her glistening center for a moment before he moved to lay over her. "I can't wait either," he said and plunged himself into her tight heat, a deep groan escaping his lips as he fully seated himself inside her.

She screamed out her pleasure at being filled up so suddenly, so completely. She shuddered around that hard flesh that pressed into her, so full. She squeezed him, clenching her muscles around him. Gods, she could practically feel the head of his cock resting against her cervix. "Yes!" she hissed as she rocked her hips, "I want it, I want your seed." She panted, whimpered against him and tried to get him to move inside of her. "Gods, you make me the happiest wife on the planet."

He smiled into the crook of her neck, letting his fangs trail lightly over her skin as he pulled back, then slid into her again at a torturously slow pace. Gods, he loved that. He loved the way she begged for him, how impatient she could be. His hips met hers again, pressing her deeply into the mattress and holding her there for a minute. "I might just have to keep you hidden away in here for a few days," he mused, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke and began to slowly withdraw from her again. "Keep seeding you over and over until we're certain it worked."

She moaned, whimpered. Something about how he said it set her nerves on fire and she could already feel her orgasm growing inside of her. "Oh gods, yes," she gasped out as he kept up the slow, torturous pace. She loved that idea, thinking about herself sequestered to the bed, her husband's cum dripping from her. "Oh gods," She couldn't suppress the shiver that worked its way through her. "You come up with... ngh… the best ideas," she gasped out and raked her nails lightly over his dark nipples before she went back up to grasp at his shoulders. "You really think you're up for that?"

Chills of pleasure shot down Piccolo's spine and into his cock as she teased his chest and he picked up the pace, slamming himself into her, moaning at how wet she was for him. "I'm certain of it," he answered. He grabbed her leg, pulling it to wrap around his waist his thrusts becoming quicker, more needful as he felt his release building. "It would be all… mmmm…. too easy to hide away with you… Spend our days… worshiping each other… keeping you full of my cum…" His eyes rolled in his head as the words slipped from his lips, his cock swelling within her, so close to that edge.

His deep voice and the way he described what he would do to her was too good and the next moment, she was screaming her release, her orgasm so powerful that her back arched off the bed as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he pounded her into the mattress. "Gods YES! PICCOLO!" His name her mantra as she felt him swell inside of her, "That's it baby, come for me. Give it all to me!"

His thrusts came quicker, shallower, keeping the head of his cock pressed deeply into her. "Oh, gods, Jenny!" he cried, roaring as he came a second later, pumping thick ropes of hot cum into her body. He felt like he couldn't catch his breath as his vision swam, his arms trembling as he held himself over her. A weak smile pulled at his lips. "You never cease to amaze me," he rumbled.

Jenny felt drained as her orgasm faded away, her body still hot from his essence filling her up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she laid there, smiling at him, "Well, there we go, I'm sure I'm pregnant now, but I think you were right. Should probably try a couple more times. You know, just in case." She winked at him, "So, what are we going to call him?"

Piccolo smiled at her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Oh, you picked the last two names, I'm sure you'll come up with a good one this time," he answered as he carefully withdrew from her and moved to lay at her side. He ran his hand down her stomach, resting his palm over the lower part of her belly. "We can try as many times as you want. What did you have in mind?"

Jenny smiled, "Oh at least twice a day. Maybe three times. Hell, we could do an all-day marathon, but I think Dende would kill us. Ah crap, sorry Dende!" She shook her head and looked at Piccolo. "Or were you talking about baby names?" She bit her lip and thought about it a little bit, "We can hash it out later over names. Maybe Markus or something like that. Or heck, we can do a name down at the end of the alphabet so we have a spectrum of names."

Piccolo had to bite back a laugh as he heard a disgusted groan issue from Dende's voice somewhere far away in the Lookout. He rubbed at his face to sober his expression, but it didn't quite work. "Actually, I was asking what position you had in mind for our next attempt," he answered, feeling himself hardening again already as he reached to cup her breast, thumbing at her nipple. "We can sort out the rest later."

She giggled, "Oh! Hehe," Her quiet laughter turned into a soft moan as he teased her sensitive flesh again, "Mmm, whatever you like. Guess it's a lost cause to try to save face for Dende." She rolled over onto her stomach and wiggled at him. "Come on then, no rest for the weary."

Piccolo smiled and got to his knees, straddling the backs of her thighs as she laid beneath him. Gods, she was gorgeous and knew just how to turn him on. Grasping himself, he slid his cock between her legs, slipping into her hot core once more. Stars popped in his eyes at how tight she felt in this position. A low moan issued from his throat as he slid his hands under her arms and grabbed her shoulders, thrusting deeply into her body. "You're going to be the death of me," he warned.

Jenny gasped as he filled her once more, the position making his cock seem impossibly big within her. She whimpered as he drove himself into her, the tip of his length pressing against that sensitive spot deep within her. There was something different about him tonight, something primal about the way he mounted her, held her, low growls issuing from his throat with every forceful thrust of his hips. Her eyes rolled in her head and she writhed beneath him, but the next second she felt his teeth on her shoulder, his fangs dangerously close to piercing her skin just like the first time they were together when he'd marked her. Her eyes went wide as she felt the dominance of the gesture exuding from her husband.

Her breath caught in her chest as he had his way with her, his powerful form pinning her beneath him, his cock delving deeper and deeper into her willing body. Her fingers clawed at the sheets as she gasped and moaned at the feel of him.

Piccolo didn't know what had come over him, but he didn't stop to question it. This was the first time they'd consciously tried to conceive a child and there was something within him that relished the thought. His instincts were taking over, driving his actions as they mated in a totally new way. A sweat broke out over his skin as he slammed himself into her at a feverish pace. "Come with me," he commanded, roaring his release a moment later, his entire being consumed with absolute bliss.

Jenny didn't need telling; the feel of his hot essence pouring into her set off her own orgasm and she screamed into the mattress, nearly sobbing with pleasure. She clenched down on him so hard it hurt. She couldn't breathe, her body locked around his thick, hard shaft as she milked him dry. "Oh… oh gods…" she cried weakly as the last tremors shook her body. "Oh baby… wow…"

He managed a small smile for her and kissed the corner of her mouth as he carefully withdrew from her, feeling utterly spent as he collapsed onto the bed next to her. He tugged her back to his chest, holding her for a moment, running his hand over the soft skin of her stomach again. His eyes grew heavy as sleep claimed him, his only thoughts in that moment of a son of his own.


	10. Bitter Memories

Enye paced by the window of the small home she shared with her mate and the two Saiyans who had escaped from the last battle. She paused and peeked through the curtains once again at the dark sky, then drew them tightly closed once more. She ignored the frustrated sigh she heard from Fasha and began to pace again. She'd felt the presence of a goddess appear on the earth and it worried her greatly. It had been centuries since one of the gods had walked among them in seemingly-human form. She didn't know which goddess it was or even which pantheon the goddess belonged to. But the presence was unmistakable.

She couldn't sense energies the way the Z-Fighters did. But the gods exuded such a powerful aura that a person would have to be blind to not notice it. Which, sadly, most humans were when it came to such things. Although the goddess had appeared somewhere on the other side of the world, Enye could still feel her. It nearly made her go weak in the knees to think that somewhere, someone had summoned one of the gods to this plane of existence. And if that was possible, then there was still hope of releasing Apollymi from her prison.

Yet that hope did little to relieve her anxiety this night. She doubted that this particular goddess was on their side. Her long, pointed ear gave a twitch as she listened to the sound of wings overhead. There was an unusually large number of birds in the sky, especially for this time of night. There were many goddesses associated with birds: Freya, Isis, Rhiannon, and Athena among them. The last one caused Enye to shudder. To say that Athena was not fond of the Atlanteans was an understatement. It was her city they attacked on that fateful day that the Greek gods sank Atlantis into the sea and imprisoned Apollymi.

Enye shook her head. It couldn't be. Still, the sound of those birds flying over their home made her nervous.

Fasha snorted at the other woman's nervous attitude. It showed weakness. She didn't like any show of weakness. "You worry over nothing. Sit and eat your dinner, before they do. Heh, or I do. I am eating for two now," she said gleefully. "So wonderful your plan was, but if you have so much power, why did you not imprison one of the stronger ones? His son perhaps? We could have just kill that miserable little wretch of a human he calls a mate."

Enye turned from the window and moved to sit at the small kitchen table. "Because if we murdered her in cold blood, it would be too obvious," she answered. "Vegeta has no way of knowing where she is or what has happened to her. For all he knows, she left him. Once she turns into a shadow, his mark will turn so miserably cold, he'll believe she DID leave him. It'll break him in a way that will leave his mind and heart wide open for you to do as you see fit."

The pregnant Saiyan snorted and tore into her leg of meat with gusto and ripped a large hunk off in one bite. She spoke with her mouth full, "I just don't understand you. You with all your power, couldn't even get the mighty _prince_ to bow his knee to me, make him think that this child I carry is his. We would be unstoppable."

"We WILL be unstoppable," Enye insisted, "But there are things even beyond my control, I told you that. His bond to his mate was too strong to be manipulated."

Durian rolled his eyes as he devoured the food before him. "See? This is why I never took a mate. You women are nothing but trouble," he growled before he sat back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ah, well. I hope your little plan works. Let Vegeta raise the kid. I'd rather be out wreaking havoc than sitting around here playing house." Despite the fact that it was his child Fasha carried, he felt nothing for her or their unborn son. The relationship between them had been physical, nothing more.

Fasha snorted and spat in his direction, "Disgusting pig. You were just lucky I could distract that _prince_ with my ruse for so long." She glared over at Enye, "When he comes crawling to us after his mate has died, let me have access to him first. He still carries royal seed within him and I wish to utilize it to its full extent."

Durian flashed Fasha a big grin with pieces of meat still stuck in his teeth. "Whatever, bitch. I didn't hear you complaining before." Her insults didn't phase him. After so many years on that planet with her, he was used to it.

Enye cocked an eyebrow at Fasha. "Oh? And just what exactly do you have in mind?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She wrinkled her nose as Durian continued to gorge himself on his meal. She frowned at her mate as he sat beside her, his eyes blank and glazed as he stared at the plate before him, his food untouched. It broke her heart to keep him in such a state. "Since you're still pregnant, I don't see how he would be of much use in that department unless you're planning on having a child with him as soon as this one is born."

Fasha grinned wickedly, "I've seen your preservation spells. I do indeed plan on having a child with him once this one is born. If I have to abort it, so be it, but I want the royal DNA within me. It will be the strongest child ever born in this world. If I have to milk the prince and preserve him, then I will. I figured the formal act would be more gratifying for him." She smiled, imagining Vegeta arching up into her touch against his will. The thought sent a thrill down her spine as she imagined it, her prince. Unable to deny his body's wish for pleasure at her hand. She would bind him with magick and energy bonds and watch him come beneath her hands. She would love every minute of it.

Enye narrowed her eyes. "You'll do no such thing," she said coolly. "Not on my watch. I cast that fertility spell for you, you'll not waste it by killing that child. It wasn't my fault you got pregnant by Durian instead of Vegeta. You are still quite young as far as Saiyans go and Vegeta is even younger than you. There is plenty of time for you to have as many children by him as you wish. Besides, wouldn't aborting this baby be rather counterproductive to your ambition of reestablishing the Saiyan race?"

In truth, it was more than just the waste of a spell that drove Enye's words. Although Fasha might have been brilliant when it came to the tactics of war and revenge, in most other matters she was stupid. Perhaps Saiyan mothers were not as emotionally attached to their children, but Enye couldn't fathom them feeling NOTHING for their offspring. For Fasha to so flippantly mention aborting the child told Enye that she hadn't given the idea serious consideration.

Enye knew the pain of losing a child all too well. It was a memory she hadn't thought about in a very long time, having locked it away centuries ago. It was so painful, her heart felt like it was being torn in half every time she thought of it.

She and Hashem had been newly mated when Kamahina had found the Seal of Apollymi and called the Atlanteans together with the hopes of releasing their goddess upon the earth. While most of the Atlanteans agreed with Kamahina's plan, there were a few who were not so keen on the idea, herself and her mate included. At the time, Enye quite liked the world they lived in and did not want to see the wrath the dark goddess would unleash upon the planet. So they went into hiding to avoid becoming part of the young queen's plans.

It broke Enye's heart to be separated from her people. Even her own brother had willingly gone to the castle in the hopes of restoring the earth to the way it once was when Atlantis had been the greatest empire the world had ever known. But Hashem kept reminding her that Apollymi would only bring about war and chaos if she was released from her prison now. After so many centuries of imprisonment, the goddess would no longer want to rule the world. She would destroy it.

Enye had to look away from her mate now as she remembered the day she told him they were going to have a child. She could still vividly see the way his eyes had lit up, the huge smile that split his face as he cried for joy. But what was supposed to be a happy time in their lives ultimately brought about the end of their freedom. Enye's pregnancy was hard and life on the run proved to be increasingly more difficult as time wore on. In the end, she and Hashem willingly went to the castle, seeking help and proclaiming their allegiance to Kamahina, with secret plans to escape as soon as Enye and the baby were strong enough to travel.

They were welcomed with open arms and Enye was given a small, but comfortable bedchamber to birth their child. After nineteen long, grueling hours of hard labor attended by Branwen, she gave birth to a tiny baby girl. Exhausted and aching, Enye still couldn't stop the smile that split her face as the old nurse rubbed at the infant, attempting to draw the first cry from the child's lungs.

She could still feel the fear that gripped her heart as Branwen got increasingly aggressive in her attempts to rouse the child. Rubbing the baby's back, flicking the bottoms of her feet, sharp taps between her shoulderblades, but nothing worked. Looking horrified, Branwen had left the room with the babe in her arms as Enye prayed to the gods for the life of her child. No, she had done more than pray. She begged. Pleaded. Negotiated. Cursed. And begged some more. But her words fell on deaf ears.

It was said that such an anguished scream had never been heard before the moment Enye was told that her child was stillborn. She was inconsolable for weeks, doing nothing but screaming and crying, cursing the gods, begging for them to take her life if only they would give her child back. Some within the castle tried to comfort her by offering her words of wisdom or telling her that it was simply meant to be this way, but none of it did anything to ease the shattered pieces of her heart. Even Hashem could not soothe her pain and she lashed out at him, banishing him from their chamber.

But the worst part was never even getting to hold her child. She was told later that Kamahina herself decided that Enye was too fragile to see the infant and ordered the child to be buried quietly outside the castle. Neither Hashem nor Enye ever had the chance to lay eyes upon their baby, the little angel they both loved so dear.

Enye had hoped that with time, the pain would ease. That somehow the hole in her heart would heal, but instead the only relief to be found was an aching numbness that seemed to consume her whole being. There was a rift between her and her mate that neither of them knew how to acknowledge. When she finally did speak to Hashem again, he tried to discuss his plans for their escape from the castle and his ideas about how to stop their fellow Atlanteans from releasing Apollymi. Enye took it as a personal affront, as if his only thoughts were of saving the rest of the world when they couldn't even save the life of their child.

Whispers spread through the castle that Hashem intended to leave, that he didn't agree with the plans laid out by their queen. Seeking to stop a rebellion among her people, Kamahina went to Enye herself. She convinced Enye to join her, that by immersing herself in work that she could ignore the overwhelming grief in her heart and soothe the numbness. What did she owe this world anyway? They turned their backs on the Atlanteans, ignored the gifts given to them by the earth. The Fates were cruel for allowing her to carry her child for so many months, only to have her daughter ripped away from her before even giving the child a real chance at life. With little thought of anything but escaping her living nightmare, Enye agreed and threw herself into the pursuit of the Elemental Powers and trained herself in combat and the use of magick as a weapon.

Overwhelmed with grief of the loss of his child and disappointed in Enye's decision to join Kamahina, Hashem fled the castle to search for others who had refused to obey the orders to rejoin the Atlanteans. It proved to be a miserable existence without his mate by his side. So, just as Enye had done, he lost himself in his endeavors to prevent the unleashing of Apollymi.

Nearly three centuries past before Enye and Hashem were reunited. After seeing the anguish she and her fellow Atlanteans caused to the Z-Fighters, she couldn't stomach the cruelty she had become a part of and had used her powers to fake her death and escape from the castle. She couldn't stand what they had done to Gohan in those dungeons and she thought that the look in Goku's eyes when he saw his son would haunt her until the end of her days. She managed to find Hashem and begged his forgiveness, which he eagerly gave, happy that she was safe and in his arms once again.

But all of that had changed now. Her daughter was dead. Her brother was killed by the very people she'd tried to help. The world continued to be unforgiving, its people self-absorbed and mindless. The whole damn planet needed a reset button as far as she was concerned now, but with so few of their people left, there was little hope for that. So until such time that she could come up with a better plan, she decided to assist Fasha with her plans for repopulating the Saiyan race.

She shook her head. She didn't know why Fasha's simple comment had brought up so many memories. She frowned at her food and pushed her plate away, her appetite gone.

"You're not going to eat that?" Durian asked. No sooner than she shook her head, he grabbed it up and added it to his own plate. His dark eyes locked onto Hashem's glassy, nearly-white eyes that stared right back but didn't seem to see him. Gods, that was unnerving. "Make him eat. He's losing weight and looks like shit."

Enye laid her hand on Hashem's forearm. "Eat," she commanded softly and he mechanically began to eat the food before him, just as he always did. Her eyes fell on Fasha's slightly rounded belly and she found that there was no jealousy or bitterness in her heart. Perhaps it was better that her daughter was dead and wasn't there to see what her parents had become.

She looked up at Fasha's eyes, pushing away thoughts of her own child. "Besides, if you truly wish to expand your race, wouldn't it be better to have a more diverse gene pool? There are still four living pure-blooded Saiyan males here on earth. And you have several years of childbearing left in you, if that is what you wish. To be blunt, you could be far more ambitious about this whole matter."

Fasha tilted her head, a sick grin on her face, "You are saying I should take Kakarot's seed as well?" She smirked, "The idea has merit. Let's get the dear _prince_ first, then we will see about the rabble."

"I'm saying it's an option, but of course, first things first," she agreed. "We will deal with Vegeta before we consider your next move." She paused and watched as the tiny, pale little girl wandered through the kitchen, paying no mind to any of them, humming an eerie little tune as she grabbed a drink from the refrigerator and wandered back to the living room. It felt so strange to be in a house with modern conveniences like this and it made Enye shiver. She shook her head and looked at Fasha again, "Anyway… I think we should stay hidden until the spell is complete. No more of you two Saiyans out running around and tearing up things," she said, wagging a finger at them.

She snorted and ate another hunk of meat, "You're no fun at all." Fasha rubbed at her belly. "I just wish this thing would hurry up and pop out already." She glared over at Durian, "I have far better seed to be carrying than your vile offspring. Gods, I can barely stomach the sight of you after so many years. My only thought to have the _prince's _ child within me keeps me going."

Durian sat back, still chewing, as he fixed her with a hard stare. He finally swallowed the last of his food before he spoke. "That's funny. You knew the risk when you offered yourself to me and the rest of our crew. All because you didn't want us 'mixing with the locals' or whatever other excuse you used," he spat at her. "I was the only one stupid enough to take you up on it."

Fasha snorted, "I knew the risks. When I thought that we were the only Saiyans around, it seemed like a good deal at the time. I like to think of it as an all you can eat buffet. I was content with the dried out roast beef, but now I've seen the juicy prime rib and I want nothing more." She licked her lips at her own descriptive words and resumed eating with earnest.

"You're fucking weird, Fasha," Durian grumbled and got to his feet. "Whatever. I'm gonna go stare at that box in the living room with the creepy kid that refuses to talk." And with that he left the room.

Enye shook her head as she watched him go. "Don't go pissing him off," she warned. "If he leaves the house, I'm afraid he will give us away. I know I felt the presence of a goddess here on earth and if she is helping Vegeta, we're all in a lot of trouble. It's best if we can lay low until the spell is complete."

She laughed, "A Saiyan asking for help? As if. The _prince_ would not sully himself. He is going to continue to be stubborn and wither away as his mate becomes trapped in that world. We should have just trapped him in there. He would succum to the cold faster than she would. He would be begging us by now to get out."

Enye clenched her jaw in frustration. "I know what I felt," she answered forcefully. "And cold or not, he would not betray his mate while she still lived. We found that out firsthand when the spell I cast on him that night did not work. We did this the right way, trust me. You just have to have a little patience. Now listen to me, don't go out causing chaos until after the new moon, or you risk all our lives. Vegeta may be too proud to ask the gods for help, but his friends are not."


	11. Not So Subtle

It was early morning when Goku appeared outside of Chichi's house to pick up Goten. He hadn't been sleeping well, waking up every so often with thoughts of worry for his dear friend still trapped in that icy cold world of shadows. With the new moon fast approaching and no word from the goddess they had summoned, he was beginning to wonder if they were going to be able to save her. The thought troubled him greatly and he sighed, wishing he could do more to help her. He rang the doorbell, hoping that this weekend with his son would bring him some clarity.

Chichi opened the door and fixed her ex-husband with a cold stare. "Goten, your father is here," she called over her shoulder, stepping aside when the little boy ran forward excitedly.

"Hi Daddy!" he cried and jumped up to wrap his arms around Goku's neck.

Goku smiled widely and hugged his son tightly, burying his face into his son's hair. "Hey there kiddo! You all ready for the weekend at the cabin?" he asked. "Sabriena's gonna cook us the best meals and Tien said he might teach you how to shoot your own little bow!"

Chichi scowled at that. "Goku, you know I don't approve of weapons. How could you think something like that is appropriate for our son?" she snapped. She rubbed at her forehead with one hand, shaking her head as she looked at the floor for a moment. She dropped her hand with a slap and looked up at him. "Just have Goten back here in one piece by seven tonight. He needs his rest for our trip tomorrow."

She still couldn't believe that she had to allow her son to go to that cabin. The place was disgusting as far as she was concerned and who knew what sort of perverted ideas Goten was going to get from his father's new relationship. What they were was unnatural, pure and simple. She gave a violent shudder and nearly gagged as she thought about it. Relationships, especially marriages, should be between one man and one woman; her mind refused to accept anything else as being tolerable. They were all going to hell for it, she was sure.

Goku's eyes snapped to Chichi in disbelief. "Seven!? Tonight? Chichi, it's my weekend with him! I only get two weekends with him a MONTH. He is going to stay the whole time," he said firmly before curiosity got the better of him, "What trip? Where are you going?"

Chichi stammered and looked away from Goku, but Goten happily spoke up, "Momma has a friend who's taking us to Disney World!" There was an excited gleam in his eyes that lit up his whole little face. "We're going for a whole week! I get to ride all the rides and meet all the Disney characters! It's gonna be FUN!"

"It was short notice," Chichi said coldly, "And if you had a PHONE, I could have given you more notice. I even tried to drive out to that cabin yesterday because I was feeling NICE, but I couldn't find it. Honestly, there's no need to live that far out in the middle of nowhere."

Goku blinked at his ex-wife. "A friend, huh? You have a date?" he asked bluntly. Still, Goten seemed pretty excited, so who was he to deny him? "And what do you mean you couldn't find the cabin? It's the only place out there in the middle of the two mountains. It's hard to miss it!" He thought bitterly about the phone, wanting to argue that most phones wouldn't work out there and buying himself one seemed like a waste of money as he'd probably break the thing in less than a day.

"Well I don't know," she snipped. "All I know is I tried to find it and my GPS stopped working and I couldn't remember the way to get there, so I had to turn around and go home." Her face turned a shade of red and she averted her eyes from his gaze again. "And don't question me about who I spend my time with. It's none of your concern. A friend offered to take us on a trip and I accepted. That's all you need to know."

Goku chuckled and shifted Goten in his arms. "I'm happy for you, Chichi. I haven't seen you blush like that in a long time," he said honestly. "Alright, I'll have him back by seven, but maybe the next time I get him I can have him for a little longer?" he tried to compromise.

Chichi pressed her lips into a tight line, refusing to look at him. "I don't know," she said sharply. "We'll see. Just have him back on time." She finally looked at Goten, "Now be good and you still follow our rules, you hear?"

Goten nodded his head. "Yes, Momma." He grinned widely when she shut the door and he turned to his father. "We're going to the cabin? Yay! I like it out there!"

Goku smiled and nodded. "You bet kiddo! Hold on tight!" he said as he pressed his fingers to his forehead and sighed relief when they appeared back at the cabin. It just felt better there and it seemed to bring an ease to his troubled mind. He grinned as his saw his husband chopping wood. "We're here!" he announced as he set Goten on the ground.

Tien brought the axe down one last time and turned to them, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Hey you two," he smiled.

"Hi, Mr. Tien!" Goten grinned brightly. "Thanks for letting me come play here today!"

Tien chuckled and ruffled Goten's unruly hair. "Not a problem, kiddo." He frowned when he realized Goku didn't have a bag of clothes for his son. "She didn't send anything with him for the weekend?" he asked. It figured. She probably expected them to have everything set up for Goten at the cabin already. His frown deepened when he realized they probably should have done that anyway.

Goku pouted and crossed his arms, "No, he's only staying until seven tonight. Chichi said her guy friend is taking them to Disneyworld tomorrow." He paused, "Or was it Disneyland?" He shrugged, "So, yeah. Hopefully I can talk her into letting him stay longer the next time I get him." He smiled and threaded his fingers into Goten's hair, "It's up to you buddy! What would you like to do today?"

Tien shook his head and rolled his eyes as he turned to put the axe away. That sounded just like something Chichi would do; plan a big, lavish vacation on the weekend when Goku was supposed to get his son. Of course Goten would want to go on the trip, what kid wouldn't? It was a shady move and Tien didn't appreciate it.

Goten pondered for a minute. "Hmmmm," he said thoughtfully, tapping his finger to his chin. He spotted the river and his face brightened. "Can we go swimming? Or fishing? Maybe both!" he grinned excitedly. "Anything's fine with me, Dad, just as long as I'm with you."

He grinned at his son, "You know me, I like to do both at the same time! Let's go see if we can catch us some to eat!" He looked around, noticing his wife was missing. "Where's Sabriena?" he asked. Since she had been kidnapped and now the incident with Bulma, he was more than a little antsy about letting either of his mates out of his sight. Though he knew that now she was safe here in the woods.

Tien jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the cabin. "She's inside cleaning something. She said she needed to plan what we were eating this weekend. I guess she wants to make it special since Goten's here and she wants to make sure she cooks enough to feed you both," he answered. "I told her not to worry so much, but she seems really uptight this morning."

As if on cue, Sabriena emerged from the cabin with a large, empty basket in her hands and paused when she saw them in the yard. "Oh! I didn't realize you were back yet," she said to Goku. She forced a smile at the little carbon-copy of her Saiyan husband. "Hi, Goten," she said, "I gotta work on the garden. Those veggies aren't gonna pick themselves, you know!" She turned sharply on her heel and hurried around the edge of the cabin to the garden.

Goku smiled and followed her, "Hey, you don't have to pick so many, Chichi wants Goten back by seven tonight so he can get enough rest for their trip tomorrow." He watched as she threw herself into her work and he was quite sure he had never seen her go at the garden with such tenacity before. "Why don't you come swim with us for a little bit? It's pretty warm out today and the water will feel good," he said happily.

Sabriena felt a little guilty as the happiness surged through her that Goten wasn't spending the whole weekend. She'd dreaded this. She was so afraid that she was going to snap at Goten or somehow be rude or hateful to him or make him cry simply because children wore on her nerves. She couldn't imagine how furious Goku might be with her if she offended his son somehow. And the thought of walking on eggshells around the little guy all weekend didn't appeal to her at all. "Uh, well, I still need to have plenty for you guys for lunch and supper," she said over her shoulder as she picked through the vegetables. "You guys go on. If I can get all of this squared away, I'll see if I can join you."

He chuckled and turned to walk down to the river, "Oh, alright then." He looked back over to the cabin and beckoned Goten to him, "Come on! Let's go swimming! Tien, are you gonna come with us?" He couldn't stop his smile as his son ran to him, jumping into his arms again and he walked them both down to the river.

Tien grinned and followed his husband down to the river. "Why not? It's getting hot out here. I can take a break for a while," he smiled as he stripped down to his boxers and waded out into the cool water.

Goten follow his example, then ran splashing into the water, grinning brightly as he dunked himself and resurfaced. "This is awesome!" He waited for his dad to join him in the river before he asked a question that had him curious since the moment they arrived. "Daddy," he said quietly, hoping Tien didn't hear him, "I was just wondering, I mean, I like it out here, but, um, how come we didn't go to our old house like we usually do?"

Goku froze, not knowing what to say or what Chichi had already told about him. He looked over at Tien before he turned to Goten. "Well, I live here now. I was really lonely at the house, so I came out here. I, uh, really like Tien and Sabriena," he said, smiling at his kid as he sank into the cool water. It was the only time he could stand to be cold, when it was a refreshing reprieve from the summer heat.

Goten wrinkled his little nose in confusion. "Really? I don't want you to be lonely, Daddy," he said and swam closer to his father. "Is there enough room for everyone?" He dropped his voice to a loud whisper and put his hand up by his mouth, "Tien's cabin is kinda small. Where do you sleep?"

Tien snickered and rubbed at his face with his hand. Oh lord, this was something they should have anticipated as well. They really hadn't prepared for this visit well at all. In all fairness, their concern over Bulma and what was happening with her had been at the forefront of their minds and none of them had been quite all there the past couple of days. After nearly losing Sabriena, this was too fresh of a wound.

Tien dropped his hand and shrugged his shoulders at Goku's questioning look, gesturing that he didn't know what was appropriate to tell a seven-year-old and what wasn't.

Goku shook his head at his mate, "Well, you're no help." He looked back at his son and decided he would be honest with him. "I sleep in the bed with them, kiddo." He tilted his head to the side, showing his mark to him, "Tien and Sabriena are, well, they're my mates now." He looked at his son's expression carefully, wondering if he understood what that meant. "I remarried with them."

Goten tipped his head curiously to the side, studying the mark. He didn't know what to think about it, but his daddy seemed happy and that was all that mattered to him. "Okay, Daddy," he said cheerily. "Just as long as you're not lonely anymore!"

Tien heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed at his face. He gave a low chuckle as Goku looked at him again. "Hey, don't look at me, I didn't know what to say," he laughed. "Your kid. You get to field all the awkward questions." He tried not to snicker again and failed miserably.

Goku frowned and splashed Tien with water before he pounced on him, wrestling with him and tried to get his footing so he could properly dunk him. He laughed when Tien's fingers found their way to the tender spot under his ribs and shouted, "Hey! No fair! You know all my secrets now! I'll have to use my secret weapon. Goten! Attack!"

Goten eagerly jumped into the fray, trying to wrestle Tien off of his father as the bigger man mercilessly tickled the Saiyan's ribs. Tien caught Goten with one arm and let the little boy dunk him under the water before he came up laughing. "Oh, it's on now, kid," he growled playfully and grabbed him up, slinging him around to toss him out into the river.

Goten shrieked with laughter as he was airborne for only a moment, then landed in the deeper part of the water. He swam back as quick as he could, the current pushing him slightly, and he eagerly tugged on Tien's arm. "Do it again! Do it again!"

"Haha," Tien beamed at Goku as he picked Goten up. "Your secret weapon likes me now."

Goku pouted and shook his head, "My own flesh and blood."

* * *

After a while, Tien frowned up at the cabin, realizing his wife still had not joined them for a swim. He sighed and hauled himself out of the water, pausing on the bank to stretch in the warm sunlight. It wasn't like Sabriena to ignore an opportunity to go swimming in favor of doing the chores. Usually she was the one who insisted they take a break to cool off. "Let's go see if she needs some help or something," Tien said. "I can't imagine what's keeping her."

Goku frowned, but nodded, "Yeah! The sooner we help her with the chores, the sooner we can all play together!" He picked Goten up and put him up on his shoulders. "Come on kiddo. Since it's been so long since I've done chores, I think they're fun!" he said happily as he followed Tien.

"What are you doing?" Tien asked, as they walked up to the cabin and found Sabriena walking out the door.

"Oh, I dunno. Gonna clean... something," Sabriena said distractedly. She glanced around and grabbed the washtub and set it firmly on the ground. "Laundry isn't going to wash itself, you know!"

Tien sighed and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Sabriena, you can't spend the day avoiding everyone."

"Watch me," she hissed and grabbed up a couple buckets to head down to the river.

Tien shook his head and watched her go before he decided to help her. If she was going to throw herself into chores as an excuse, then he was going to help her get them done until there was nothing left to do and then she'd HAVE to spend time with Goku and his son. This was important to Goku and therefore, it was important to Tien. He grabbed up a couple buckets himself and hurried after her.

"What are you doing?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Just helping you out," he answered with a smile.

She rolled her eyes and carried the buckets back up to the cabin, emptying them into the basin. She plunged the washboard into the water as Goku and Goten came up to the cabin. "I think the sheets need to be washed," she said quickly and disappeared into the cabin. Tien emptied his buckets and shook his head again.

Goku blinked as Sabriena rushed past him, blinking after her and then back at Tien before he looked back at her, "Gosh Sabriena...I didn't realize there was this much left to do. Goten and I can help you out. What needs to be done? Then you can come play in the water with us! Help us catch some fish!" He smiled, looking up at Goten, "Sorry kiddo, I don't mean to have you do chores while you're here. You want to help me do my chores?"

Goten screwed up his face at the word "chores." That didn't sound like fun at all and it certainly wasn't what he had in mind for the day with his dad. He wrinkled his nose, "Ehhh."

Sabriena had the sheets in a big wad against her chest and dropped them on the ground. "Goku! He doesn't wanna do chores!" She looked up at Goten on his father's shoulder, "Chores are icky, aren't they? You don't wanna do chores, do you?"

Goten shook his head, wide-eyed.

"See?" she said, standing up straight again. "You boys go have fun. This won't take me too long!"

Tien could see she really wasn't going to give on this. He clapped a hand to Goku's shoulder. "Come on, did you guys wanna go fishing? Or," he hesitated for just a second, "I guess we could try hunting, if you want."

Goku laughed, "Lets go hunt some fish!"

Tien's eyebrows shot up at that. "You know, we could," he said thoughtfully. "It could be good practice without losing any arrows. Let me grab the bows." He disappeared into the house and returned with bows and arrows in hand. "If you need anything, we'll be back down at the river," he said to Sabriena.

"Yep yep," she answered and plopped herself on ground to begin scrubbing at the sheet.

Tien sighed, "Come on, Goku."

He brought out Sabriena's old compound bow for Goten; it would be the easiest for him to shoot. Tien waded out into the water once again, and went incredibly still, watching the fish through the clear water before drawing back and taking a shot as Goten watched carefully.

They spent the morning down by the river, Tien showing and teaching Goten how to aim and shoot Sabriena's bow. Goku scared all the fish away when he lost his balance and fell in and ended up banished to the shore while Tien showed Goten how to shoot at fish in the water, how to look for the fish. After a few misses he could see that Goten was getting discouraged. "C'mere kid, look at this." He knelt down next to Goten in the water and held an arrow into the water. "See how the water bends the arrow? Imagine that the part of the arrow under the water is the fish. That's where you aim." He stood back and watched Goten go stock still, breath held as he watched and waited.

Tien was impressed with the amount of patience and focus little Goten had. He stood as still as a statue in the cool water, a look of determination on his face. He held the string back to his cheek, his dark eyes scanning the water. He saw his prey - a big salmon swimming against the current and he had to stop himself from jumping with excitement again. He was going to hit this one. He wanted to make Tien proud, to make his Dad proud, too. He released the string, the arrow plunged into the river, a flash of red telling him he'd hit his mark. He jumped for joy and ran splashing out into the water to grab the arrow and his fish. The arrow had gone straight through and pinned the fish to the river bed.

"Good job, Goten!" Tien cried raising a fist in the air. Goten was a quick learner and, what was more, he seemed eager to learn. Tien was excited; perhaps having Goten around was going to be more fun than he'd thought. "We might have to actually try going hunting today," he smiled as Goten hurried onto the shore to show his dad his catch.

"Look, Dad! I did it!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Goku jumped up and caught his son, swinging him and the fish around, "I knew you could do it! Great work!" He looked at the fish with admiration in his eyes, "Wow! He's a big one!" He put him down and exclaimed, "Look at the size of him! He's as big as you are! Maybe if we clean him real good Sabriena will make us lunch out of him!"

"Can we Dad?" Goten asked eagerly. He turned and looked at Tien, "Can we ask her?!"

Tien chuckled, "Sure. I think we've got enough here to make a decent meal." He gathered up the fish he'd caught and lead the way back up to the cabin. They'd spent most of the morning at the river; surely Sabriena was done with her 'chores' by now.

The sheets were billowing in the wind as they hung from the clothes line, Tien's, Goku's and Sabriena's clothes were freshly washed and hanging up to dry as well. Tien couldn't see Sabriena anywhere. "I'll clean 'em and we'll see if she turns up." He could feel her presence somewhere around the back of the cabin. She hadn't gone far. It wasn't until Tien had cleaned all the fish, Goten wrinkling his nose but watching with interest at the same time, that Sabriena finally reappeared around the edge of the cabin, another huge basket of vegetables balanced against her hip.

"Sabriena! Look at all the fish we caught!" Goten cried when he saw her.

"Ohhh. Good job, Goten," she answered. She looked up at Tien. "Done fishing already? That was fast."

He blinked at her. "It was? We spent most of the morning down there at the river."

"Oh, I must've lost track of time," she muttered honestly. Half a day. Half a day was done and now only half to go. She could do this. She could get through the day without having to spend much time with the kid and everything would be fine. "I guess you boys are hungry, huh?"

Goten nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm starving!"

She grabbed the large bowl of fish fillets with her free hand. "I'll make you guys some lunch." And she disappeared into the cabin. It wasn't long after that Sabriena was calling out the door for them to stop the little sparring match they'd stirred up in the yard and to come inside for lunch.

"I wanna sit by Sabriena!" Goten cried.

Tien laughed, "Sure, she'll sit by you!" He grabbed his wife by the shoulders and steered her away from her normal chair at the end of the table and plunked her down in a chair next to Goten.

Goten blinked up at her with wide eyes, a giddy look on his face. Sabriena tried to smile back, but all she managed to do was press her lips together in an awkward grimace and began to fill everyone's plates. Goten lost himself in his meal, but edged his chair a little closer to hers. Discreetly as possible, Sabriena inched away from Goten, keeping the same amount of space between herself and him that they'd started out with. Goten didn't seem to be bothered at all and scooted his chair again, never raising his face from his plate. So their little struggle went, Sabriena always watching Goku's eyes to make sure he wasn't looking when she quietly scooted her chair, until she was at the corner of the table and Goten's chair was pressed up against her own.

Tien tried not to laugh, biting the inside of his own cheek to keep himself from snickering.

Goku wasn't laughing as he looked up with a smile still on his face, but he had seen Sabriena scooting farther and farther away from Goten during the whole meal. He didn't know what to think, did she really not like his son? Had Goten done something wrong and now she was punishing him for it? He finally finished and pushed his last plate away before he rubbed at his stomach, "Oh man! That was good! Thanks Sabriena!" He smiled over at Goten, "Why don't you finish up and Tien can take you hunting in the woods!" He looked over at Tien, "I'll stay and help Sabriena clean up. She did cook a wonderful meal!" He smiled back over to her before he stood up and caught Goten as he was excitedly jumping about, he ruffled his son's hair, "Now be good and listen to everything Tien tells you to do, okay?"

Goten nodded excitedly and smiled over at Tien before he rushed over and grabbed his hand to pull him out the door.

Goku sighed as he thought over his words for a moment before he went back to the table and sat down. He looked at Sabriena, "Did I do something wrong?"

Sabriena blinked at him. "Huh?" She chewed her last bite of food and swallowed, staring at him in confusion. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, baby. Why on earth would you think that?" She stood and started to gather up the dirty, empty plates and stacked them in a pile to carry over to the little counter where they washed dishes. "Don't you want to go hunting with Tien and Goten? I can clean this up. I don't want you to miss any time with your kid."

He sighed and gathered up what dishes where left on the table before he carried them over to the basin. He grabbed a towel from the side of the counter before he looked out the window to Goten standing up straight and nodding his head at something Tien was telling him. He glanced over at Sabriena, "Did Goten do something wrong?" He didn't know why he had been with him the entire day. There was nothing that he could have done, but maybe he had said or did something. He couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Sabriena felt her back go stiff. "No," she answered carefully. "He didn't do anything wrong." She obviously hadn't been as subtle as she thought. She had thought her plan was rather clever, really. Just stay busy doing chores around the house and she could keep herself occupied enough to avoid spending time with the kid. If she was working on things that needed to be done, she thought she could get away with it and no one would be the wiser. Tien certainly wouldn't bitch about her doing extra chores. But he'd seen right through her the moment she announced she was going to wash the sheets. He knew better. And, apparently, Goku was onto her too. "W-Why do you ask?"

Goku frowned and looked down at the dirty dishes, "Its just...you..." He sighed and dropped the dish towel, turning to face her completely, "It feels like you've been avoiding us all day long. And when Goten tried to scoot closer to you, you were at the corner of the table by the end of the meal." He swallowed hard, "Do you have a problem with my son?

Sabriena sighed slowly, closing her eyes and pinching her nose. Not only had she not managed to be sneaky, she'd been downright obvious. "Goku, it's not Goten. It's just kids in general," she answered. She dropped her hand to the side, looking up at Goku with apologetic eyes. "I've never been good around kids. I just... They... " she paused to growl, "I don't know why, but I don't know what to do around a kid. I don't know how to talk to them, I don't know to interact with them. They just get under my skin and I thought that, you know, if I spent the day doing chores and staying out of the way, you might have a better day with your son." She sighed again, tipping her head slightly to the side as she spoke, "Please don't take it personal, Goku. I love you. And I'm sure Goten is a great kid. I just don't want to say something wrong or do something wrong and piss you off. I'm not very good with kids. I was just trying to stay out of your way."

He blinked at her, "You...don't know what to say around kids?" He chuckled, "I'm not asking you to be around every kid, just...Its just Goten. He's like a little me. Talk to him like you talk to me." He smiled at her, reaching out and cupping her cheek, "You could never make me angry. You're too wonderful. I just would like to see you guys get along. You know?" He sighed and looked down at the floor, "Chichi..." He shook his head, "No, you are nothing like her. You are beyond compare, but I don't think he's been getting much attention from her. He's just looking for a connection, I think."

Sabriena closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, groaning. "Gokuuuuu," she whined, "I'm not motherly material. I can try to be nice, I suppose." She cringed and opened her eyes, cringing even more when she looked up at him. "I just don't have much patience for kids. I don't wanna, you know, be snippy with him or something. I'm not as wonderful as you think." She didn't think she could be this 'connection' that Goku was talking about. She didn't WANT to be that connection. As far as she was concerned, she had been responsible and made sure it was impossible for her to have children for that very reason; she did not want to be a mother. But still, she didn't want to hurt Goku's feelings and she didn't want to ruin this day with his son. He was so stressed out as it was with worry over Bulma that he needed a fun day to ease his mind, if only for a few hours. He deserved it.

Goku sighed, "Just be yourself. You're trying too hard. If he sees what I see, he's going to love you without you even trying." He dragged a hand through his hair. He didn't want to argue with her, "I hate seeing you so uncomfortable. I just want us to all get along." He sighed, "What do you want me to do, Sabriena?"

"I want you to enjoy spending time with him," she answered honestly. She took his face in her hands. "Goku, I'll try. Okay? I'm sorry. I thought I was, you know, being all subtle about giving you guys some space and obviously I failed." She laughed lightly, "Ah, I should'a known better. You and I both know I suck at being subtle." She stepped a little closer, looking up at him. "Goku, I'm sorry," she whispered. "Forgive me? Please? I just didn't want to ruin your weekend."

Goku looked up at her, smiling at her words and pulling her closer to him, "You could never do that." He leaned in and kissed her cheek, "But I forgive you. All I ask that you try. It's all any of us can do, right?" He smiled at her and picked up his dish cloth, "Come on. They'll probably be gone for a while. Let's finish up these dishes and go build a fire. I think you need to relax after your stressful morning. How about a back massage?"

Sabriena gave him a small smile and nodded. She turned to start washing the dishes, thinking she didn't really deserve a back massage. She hadn't meant to hurt Goku's feelings, even if she really didn't want to be around his son. She hated herself in that moment. She didn't know what it was about kids. She liked babies, sorta, but they couldn't talk back or get into a lot of stuff or just be annoying in general. Most of her old friends didn't have children and so she didn't have to deal with kids at all. Most of her experiences with children had been random encounters with misbehaved brats screaming in restaurants or demanding toys in stores while their exhausted-looking mothers stood by on the verge of tears. But this was Goku, her love, the man she never wanted to see hurting for anything. The man who had risked his very life to save her. She huffed again, deciding she owed him this much. She just hoped she could do it without appearing fake. They finished the dishes and put them away. "I don't know that I deserve a massage," she admitted as she dried her hands on a towel. She reached out and caught his wrist, meeting his dark eyes. "Goku, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," she said softly, "I didn't mean to."

Goku paused and looked at Sabriena, "You didn't hurt my feelings, Sabriena. You might have hurt Goten's though." He looked back out the window at Goten and Tien, "Maybe not now, but if you keep trying to distance yourself from us any time he comes around, he is going to catch on." He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, "I won't force you to spend time with him if you don't want to. Though, if you do get caught alone with him, just pretend it's me. Would that make him easier to be around?"

Sabriena buried her face in Goku's shirt, feeling even lower. Underneath it all, she was still a spoiled brat who wanted everything her way. "I'll be nice," she promised. She just hoped it didn't come across as fake or forced. Gods, help her. This was important to Goku and the last thing she wanted was for him to feel like his son wasn't welcome. She knew how hurt he was when Chichi had kept Goten away. She was not about to do the same by making him think that Goten shouldn't be there. "Let's try to enjoy the rest of the day with him," she said finally and looked up at Goku, offering him an apologetic smile.

He smiled at her, "There's my girl." He kissed the top of her head, "I'll tell Goten to not be so clingy at the dinner table. Looked like he was about to crawl into your lap." He chuckled.

"I think he was," she muttered. "If I could just, you know, get used to him, maybe I would be able to do better. I just didn't know how to react to that. I thought he would get the hint, but he just kept scooting closer." She gave a tiny laugh, "Well, he's persistent. I'll give him that."

A grin worked its way across his face at her words, "Yeah, he is that."He sighed, a weight lifting from his chest and he leaned down to kiss her gently, "Thank you for trying. I appreciate it."


	12. House Guests

Vegeta poked miserably at the food on his plate, rubbing his eye with the heel of his other hand. His eyes felt heavy and tired, dry like they were made of sandpaper. Besides the meal Arthusia had fixed for him a few nights ago, he hadn't had much of an appetite again. He sat up until the wee hours of the morning, speaking softly to Bulma's shadow when he saw it, trying to hold his ground against the other shadows that lurked in the corners of his bedroom. They were getting bolder, coming closer to him, daring to try to fight against the lights he turned on at night.

He shook his head, trying to chase away the thoughts of them now that it was daylight again. He could feel the eyes of his family on him and it did nothing to help his temper.

"Eat something, Vegeta," Catie encouraged, reaching over and nudging his plate a little closer to him as if that might help.

"You're a lousy cook," he answered, his voice dry and rough.

Catie narrowed her eyes and turned to Trunks. "See? I told you we should've ordered out. No, you thought a big homemade breakfast might cheer him up. All I've done is piss him off."

Trunks stuck his tongue out at her as he ate his own plate of food, "Don't listen to father, your cooking is great." He frowned at his dad, "You do need to eat something, your body is going to start eating you alive if you don't get some food in you soon. Mother wouldn't want you to starve to death on her account. You need your strength to fight Enye and Fasha when we find them."

Vegeta sighed and forced himself to eat, trying not to pull a face. It wasn't Catie's cooking, it was just that nothing tasted good to him at the moment. It would've been better if they weren't watching him like a hawk every time he emerged from his bedroom. Why hadn't they heard back from the goddess Kaiona yet? Perhaps even she was unable to help them. There were only a few days left until the new moon. The whole situation was starting to seem hopeless.

Mrs. Briefs entered the kitchen through one of the big glass doors that led out to the pool and her eyes went wide as a tiny pure-white bird flew into the house before she could shut the door. "Oh my!" she giggled as it circled the kitchen. "Trunks, be a dear and set the poor little thing free, won't you?"

Trunks looked up at the bird, his eyes narrowing at the oddness of it. He didn't recognize the species. "That thing isn't from around here. I wonder if it is someone's pet that got out." He stood up and reached out for the bird, trying to jump and grab it as it fluttered about around the ceiling. His fingers barely brushed the feathers and he landed on the ground empty handed, "Fast little guy, Catie, think you can weave me a net or something?"

Catie shook her head, her eyes dancing. "Nope. This is far too entertaining," she snickered.

Vegeta finally looked up, recognizing the bird from the night it appeared on Arthusia's porch. "STOP!" he barked, getting to his feet. "Leave it be." He watched as the bird circled the ceiling a few more times until it finally settled on the top of the china cabinet. He felt as though his heart might leap out of his chest. If this was the same bird, then hopefully that meant that Kaiona had news for them. And that meant he could still save his mate.

"What is up with that bird?" Catie asked curiously.

Before Vegeta could answer, a sweet female voice answered. "That's my bird."

He spun around to see Kaiona standing in the kitchen as if she'd been there all along. She offered them a warm smile and walked a bit closer. "Did you find them?" Vegeta breathed, his voice nearly a whisper.

The goddess nodded her head slowly before she looked at Trunks and Catie. "One of you might want to call your sister. I'm sure she wants to know about this as well," she said. "I already sent a message to Goku, I hope his little falcon isn't too upset about my bird delivering a message. He should be here soon and then I will explain everything to you all at once."

Trunks scrambled for his phone, nearly dropping it as he punched in Jenny's phone number and held it to his ear. He about jumped out of his seat when Goku appeared standing next to him, holding a small little white bird in his hand. He blinked as he looked around, smiling when he saw the goddess and set the bird down on the counter. "Zip nearly tore this little guy apart!"

The half Saiyan looked at Goku like he was insane. "Zip? Who the hell is Zip?"

Goku laughed, "My little baby falcon! Just named him after I saw him zoom across the cabin floor when Kaiona's bird showed up. Never seen anything move that fast!" He looked to the goddess, "So, you found them. I sure hope we can convince them to undo what they did."

"Hello!" Jenny shouted through the little phone Trunks held, "Why are you calling me if you don't even want to talk!"

Trunks fumbled with the phone again. "Ack! Sorry, Sis! Goku just showed up. The goddess is here and says she knows where to find Enye and Fasha!" Before he had even finished his sentence, Goku vanished, only to reappear a moment later with Jenny in tow, still on her cell phone.

Kaiona picked up the little bird on the counter and cradled him close to her chest. He looked frightened, but unhurt. "You tell little Zip to mind his manners," she lightly scolded Goku before she reached out a hand to the other bird perched on the top of the cabinet. "Yes, I was able to find Enye and Fasha," she said. "They tried to put up spells to keep everyone out, but such spells do not work against the gods unless the caster is exceptionally talented. Which very few people are."

Vegeta's heart hammered against his ribs, but he could feel his patience running thin. "Please," he said, hoping he sounded respectful. He did not want to insult her a second time. He wasn't going to push his luck. "Tell me where I can find them. How do I make them bring her back?"

"There's a little suburb just south of West City," Kaiona answered. "They've rented a house there, pretending to be one of the humans while they wait for their spell to be completed. It's only a few miles from here."

Vegeta felt like he could've been knocked over with a feather and he grabbed at his hair with one hand. They had been that close the whole time? The whole goddamn time?! He wanted to kick himself. He could just picture Fasha gloating about it too, about being so close and he not able to find her. It made his skin crawl.

Goku's eyes widened a moment before they narrowed and he clenched his hands into fists. "They were here the whole time!?" He grit his teeth and could see that Vegeta was about to boil over, his face an angry red. It seemed as if his energy had come back out of pure fury. He wondered if he was going to survive this ordeal once it was over. Would he collapse? "Tell us an address please. And how can we get them to bring Bulma back? What will make them do what we say? They have the upper hand! What if they seal Bulma away forever instead of giving her back to us?"

Kaiona fixed Goku with a patient stare. "I do not know how to persuade them to release her," she answered. "You are all accomplished fighters, I'm sure you can find a way. The address is unknown to me, but my birds can lead you straight to it." She offered over the little bird who had flown in through the door and Vegeta took it in his hand, slightly wrinkling his nose at it before he handed it to Jenny. "I think I'll keep this one with me," Kaiona said, looking down at the frightened bird Goku had returned to her. "There are still two days until the new moon, I suggest you use your time wisely. Do not let them escape this time, for I fear I will not be able to find them again before the spell is done."

Vegeta could feel the muscles in his jaw working, his energy making his hands shake. "Thank you," he said stiffly and looked at the floor, already running over plans in his head.

Jenny watched as the goddess vanished from the home and looked down at the pristine white bird in her hands a moment before she looked over at her father. "So, what do you want to do? Do we go after them now? Or what? How do we plan for something like this?"

"Dude, we should just go straight there and beat the hell out of them until they give Bulma back," Catie answered. "I don't see what there is to discuss. We don't have that much time, you heard what Kai… Kao… what that goddess said!"

Vegeta groaned and rolled his eyes. "You and Trunks stay here and guard the house," he ordered. He cut across her when she opened her mouth to speak, "You're too hot headed for this one and I'm not risking my mate's life!"

Catie pouted, but backed down, crossing her arms over her chest as she slumped into her chair. "Bullshit," she muttered and angrily bit into a piece of toast.

"Let's just think for a moment," Vegeta said, trying to calm the thoughts that raced through his head. "What do we know? We know we have to surprise them and get a hold of them quick so they can't do their little vanishing acts."

"You know that Durian's probably with them," came Tora's voice as he casually walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe.

Vegeta looked up at the much taller Saiyan, blinking at him. "The hell did you come from?"

Tora jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I was eavesdropping from the living room," he answered with a sly smile. "I wasn't about to come in here when that goddess or whatever showed up. I've been reading about them. The gods are nuts."

"You're not being very helpful," Vegeta growled.

Tora didn't seem bothered. "Anyway, Durian escaped that last battle. It wouldn't surprise me if he's with Fasha. And Enye's probably got her mate with her, too." He paused and gave a violent shudder at the memory of that shell of a man.

Jenny worked her lip between her teeth, thinking the whole thing over. "Too bad we can't get a salt truck and dump it on whatever house they are hiding out in, but then again, if they can't use magick then they can't bring Bulma back. If her mate is there, you could probably just threaten him and be done with it. I think I recall her being all happy to see him or something like that."

Tora snorted. "Happy? I wouldn't call that happy," he muttered. At their questioning looks, he elaborated, "She's got him under some kind of mind-control spell or something. She never lets him out of her sight. He's like a damn robot, just follows her around, does everything she says. She's insanely protective of him."

A vengeful smile tugged at the corners of Vegeta's mouth. "Good. Then we'll just do exactly what Jennifer said. And once we get Bulma back, we kill them all anyway just for the frustration and pain they've caused us."

The room fell silent for a few minutes as Vegeta thought it over. "There's four of them in the house, but only three pose a real threat," he thought aloud, leaning hard on the back of the chair in front of him. He chewed his bottom lip, staring at the tabletop. "How do we get past the protective spells they have up?"

Tora licked his lips nervously. "I can get us in," he said.

Catie turned in her chair and blinked at him. "You can?" she asked.

"You're not the only one who knows how to use magick, little girl," he answered. "If Fasha had any part of putting up that spell, I can get through it. Her magick isn't nearly as strong as mine, I don't care what she thinks. She only used it as a weapon; she didn't really bother with learning anything else from the Atlanteans. But she's so conceited, I bet you anything she thought she was capable of helping protect wherever they are. I can get us in."

Vegeta gave a nod.

Jenny nodded, "Let me come as well, I can heal you all and if they try something funny, maybe I can do something to track them." She shrugged. "I have no idea what, but perhaps I'll think of something."

Catie reached up and popped the back of Jenny's head. "Use those shields like you did when we fought the dragons, dummy! They worked before." She narrowed her eyes at Vegeta, "You sure you wanna take her? She seems all scatterbrained."

"Hush," Vegeta barked at Catie. "Get out. Go keep an eye on the rest of the house." He watched as she huffed and got to her feet to stomp out of the room. He waited until he was sure she was out of earshot before he muttered to Jenny, "The shields are a good idea, though."

She chuckled and nodded, "I can try to use them to keep them from leaving." She snapped her fingers, "My ice! They won't be able to leave if they are frozen to the floor! I can freeze them and then wrap the shield around them." She grinned, "Hell yes, this sounds like a plan to me."

Goku gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Good thinking. Let's not waste any time. Bulma is counting on us and if I were her, I know I wouldn't want to spend another second in the cold of that void."

Jenny nodded and lead the way outside, opening her hands before she looked down at the bird. "Show us the way."

The little bird chirped at her and took to the sky, flying towards the south, just as Kaiona said. They quickly followed and Vegeta couldn't help but think how silly the four of them must look, following a tiny white bird and how even sillier it was that they trusted it to show them the way. What an odd turn of events this was. He shook his head, his face going stoic as he focused on the task at hand. Enye and the others would not escape this time. She'd had her chance time and time again to give it up, to leave them alone, but she refused to learn her lesson.

It was only a few minutes later when the bird landed on the fence that surrounded a seemingly empty lot in a rather nice neighborhood. Vegeta tipped his head slightly in confusion. "But there's nothing here," he protested. He turned an angry gaze at the bird on the fence. "Stupid bird."

The bird blinked at him and fluffed its feathers before it hopped into the air and flew straight towards the center of the lot and disappeared. Within seconds it reappeared, flying back to land on the fence.

"What is this?" Vegeta asked.

Jenny narrowed her eyes as they landed. "No doubt the protection spells the goddess warned us about." She looked to Tora, "Think you can bring it down, or should we just walk on in?"

Goku narrowed his eyes, "Why haven't they noticed us yet? Are they really that blinded by their own power?" He focused his energy into a concentrated attack in the palm of his hand.

Jenny shook her head, "Maybe they haven't." She held out her hands, her eyes and hair turning blue as she focused a shield around the vacant lot, feeling the power she contained. "Oh, they are still in there. Hopefully, this shield should stop them from leaving without their body bags first."

"Alright," Tora growled, his expression menacing as he easily stepped over the gate with his long legs. "Get ready. They might try to run when they realize we're here." In truth, he was hoping they would try to fight. He was itching for a good battle. He concentrated for a moment; he could feel the spell around the house. "Oh, surely not," he chuckled under his breath. It was nearly an insult to them. Just as he'd predicted, Fasha had been the one to put up the spell. Enye's magick wasn't in it. How foolish and cocky of them to think that they needed no more protection than that. He raised his hand up, the pale blue light swirling around his forearm like little bolts of electricity, the same technique he used to reach into a person's chest and crush their heart. Drawing a deep breath through his nose, his hand shot forward, penetrating the spell. It was harder than he thought. He worked his other hand in, growling with the effort and started to pull as though he was parting a pair of curtains.

Vegeta's eyes widened as a sliver of the house became visible to them. This was bizarre. He watched as Tora roared with the effort, the tall Saiyan's muscles bunching, his face sweating as he parted the spell wider until they could slip through.

"Go," he said through clenched teeth. "I don't know how long I can hold it. GO!"

Without hesitation, Vegeta jumped the fence and rushed forward, ducking under Tora's arms and froze as he took in the full view of the house. He waited for Goku and Jenny to join him, then Tora quickly slipped through the opening, leaning over on his knees to catch his breath.

"She's been practicing," he panted, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

Jenny had one hand up, still holding her shield around the house as she looked around the yard and then up to the windows. There was still no sign of them. "It would seem that perhaps Kaiona may have done what she could to shield us from their gaze until we are inside the house. Remind me to pay her a nice tribute when we are done with this," she said coolly as water trickled down her free hand and froze solid into a dagger.

Vegeta squared his shoulders and marched up the walkway to the front door. He could see Fasha and Enye sitting on the couch together, seemingly having a heated discussion. A smirk touched his lips as he raised his leg and with one sharp kick, the door burst open. The women on the couch shrieked in surprise and got to their feet as Vegeta coolly stepped into their living room.

"Knock, knock."


	13. Even in Death

Enye gasped in shock as the Saiyan Prince strode forward, a cold, calculating look on his face. No. No, this couldn't be. There was no way he could have found them. Her blood ran cold as his companions stepped into the house behind him. She opened her mouth to scream at them, but no words seemed to come to her. She rounded on Fasha, "You stupid bitch! I thought you put up a barrier to hide us!"

"I did!" Fasha shot back, confusion crossing her features for a moment. The spell should've held. Vegeta didn't know magick, there was no way he could've gotten through the barrier.

Jenny grinned as she stepped in and closed the door behind them. She moved the barrier spell to now just encompass the house, easing it up on her power while she stood next to her father, the temperature around her lowering greatly. "Oh she did. Tora let us in, wasn't that nice of him? Now for my next trick!" She scanned the room and spotted the dead looking man sitting in the corner and she stomped her foot on the ground, ice shooting from her foot to engulf him entirely.

"The hell is going on in here?" Durian demanded as he walked into the room, his eyes going wide as he saw Vegeta and the others standing near the now-splintered doorway. He dropped the half-eaten piece of meat from his hand as he gaped at them.

Goku tackled the older Saiyan and managed to wrestle Durian down to the floor. The large Saiyan had been gorging himself on raw bloody meat on his plate and was easy to overpower. He held the concentrated attack he held close to Durain face as he used all his power to hold him down. "Go on," he growled, "Make a move. I would love nothing more than to blow your face off of your head."

Durian snarled, a feral, animalistic sound rumbling up from his chest. He could feel the heat of the blast on his face. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the man holding him down. "Bardock?" he gasped. It couldn't be, his brother was dead. They'd all heard Bardock's last moments over their scouters that day. No, it wasn't Bardock. This man was younger, his face unscarred. "Kakarot!" he roared, struggling against the younger Saiyan. "What are you doing?! Get off of me!"

"HASHEM!" Enye screamed and ran to her mate, clawing at the ice that encased him. It stung her fingers as she desperately tried to free him. Big tears poured down her face. "No! No, let him go!" She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not after she'd lost everyone else so close to her. It would kill her if she lost her mate. She rounded on Jenny, not bothering to hide her tears. "LET HIM GO!"

Jenny frowned at the woman Enye had become, "DON'T YOU SEE!?" She gestured around the room, "If you had only sworn off trying to help these lost people, you would have been free to live your life how you see fit with the one you love! You can still have that! Abandon your cause to free the goddess. Give back Vegeta's love and I will give you back yours! You can go start anew somewhere. Far away, we can help you. We have old magick, we can teach you. We can help you find the life you were supposed to have!" Jenny almost faltered as she blinked, a vision catching her eyes that was so confusing it had to be wrong. She shook her head and refocused her traps, "Bulma doesn't have very long. You don't even have that long."

Enye narrowed her eyes at Jenny, the way she seemed unfocused for a moment. "I will NEVER have that life!" she screamed. "You don't know what it's like for us! Living in the shadows, cursed by the gods! I've been on both sides, YOU KNOW THAT! And no matter what I did, no matter who I tried to help, everyone I loved was taken from me!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Goku, "YOU took my brother from me! After everything I did to try to help you!" She looked back at Jenny, the tears still pouring down her face. Her lip curled in a snarl, her chin trembling as she spoke through clenched teeth, "You cannot fathom what I live with everyday of my life. The only good I have left is my mate. You take him and I'm as good as dead anyway."

Although Vegeta was squared off with Fasha, their gazes locked on each other, he was listening to the argument between his daughter and the Atlantean. "A mate for a mate," he growled. "I think it's a fair trade. You give me my mate back and Jennifer will release yours."

"Don't do it, Enye!" Durian shouted, daring to turn his face towards her. "They'll kill us all anyway! The least we can do is take his mate with us!"

Tora narrowed his eyes and leaned over Goku's shoulder, staring down at Durian. "How about you shut up for once?" he asked. He slowly shook his head, tsking at the other Saiyan. "I was a fool to have followed them. And you are, too."

"Better a fool than a traitor and a coward," Durian spat, venom dripping from his voice.

Tora's pulse thundered in his ears at the insults. "I'M THE TRAITOR?!" he roared, the blue light swirling around his hand again. "You're the ones who sold out to Kadar and agreed to go into battle against the last of our race! Tried to fool our prince, take advantage of him! And you have the audacity to call ME the traitor?!" His shoulders shook as he breathed, trying to calm himself, but there was nothing for it. "Let him up, Kakarot. I'm going to kill him."

Goku tussled with Durian before he sprang up and pushed him away, taking extra care to bind his limbs with energy binds. He looked over his handiwork before he looked around. He needed to help Vegeta get Enye and that still left Fasha take down as well. He growled at Vegeta, "You got Enye, right!?" He shouted before he turned away and headed Fasha off as she made a bolt for the doorway at the back of the living room.

Vegeta scowled as Fasha tried to run from Goku, but he turned his attention to Enye, who was still screaming at Jenny to release her mate.

Tora felt no remorse or sympathy for Durian. For years, all he'd done was talk shit about their leader, the man who had led them on countless missions, who was a fierce and loyal friend, who had sacrificed his life in an attempt to save their race. Tora knew that if the situation was reversed, Durian would not hesitate to kill him. He'd been part of this plan, had helped Fasha, stood by her as she committed these atrocities against all that was left of the royal family. That alone was treason and punishable by death. Without another moment's thought, Tora plunged his hand into Durian's chest as the other Saiyan screamed out and wrapped his hand around the beating heart, crushing it in his grip. He didn't look at the other man, he felt nothing in that moment,and he didn't move until Durian's body stopped twitching. Only then did he withdraw his hand, leaving not a trace of what caused the Saiyan's death.

Jenny could hear the desperation in Enye's voice, the hurt of a thousand years crammed into one body. Tears filled her eyes, but she kept a firm grip on her spell. "Don't you see, Eyne? Yes, we have hurt each other, but it was not borne from ill intent against you! We were trying to help you. You helped me get my baby back by warning us. When Goku killed your brother, it was in an effort to save your life that he was going to throw away. You still have a lot of good in this world. There are places you can go to spend the rest of your days in paradise with your love and bring Hashem back from this brink."

She looked at the man encased in ice, "I think you can bring him back. Just give up this fight to release Apollymi. Bringing her back will only bring more death and you might lose Hashem to her anyway. Would that be any better? Let the world come back to the old ways on its own. Embrace the old ways, but don't force them on people who are not ready to learn. If you go away and live peacefully on your own, secluded, you can have a life dedicated to your old ways. Just the two of you."

She swallowed hard, sweat dripping down the side of her cheeks as she looked back at Hashem, still unmoving. Jenny looked back to Enye, "Please, you have my word. Once Bulma is free from that shadow world, I will release Hashem."

Every muscle in Vegeta's body was tense, prepared to spring at any moment as his eyes flickered back and forth between Fasha and Enye. Fasha had tried to run for the hallway, but Goku was faster and had moved to block her, effectively trapping her between them. She looked like a caged animal as she repeatedly snapped her fingers, trying to disappear, but Jenny's shield around the house prevented her from using her magick that way. She looked like a caged wild animal, a panicked, feral gleam in her eyes.

It was his first instinct to kill her. After all the pain and suffering and misery she'd caused, she deserved to die. She'd attempted to force him to mate with her against his will. She'd threatened Bulma's life. She'd killed Krillin. Maimed Goku in battle. Tried to do the same to him. And then she committed the worst offense of all; she took Bulma from him and cast her into that frigidly cold void. Death almost seemed too good for her. He felt the energy crackling around him, the transformation bubbling just beneath the surface. He hesitated for one reason only, incase Fasha was needed to somehow bring Bulma out of the shadow realm. But once his mate was safe, Fasha was a dead woman.

Enye didn't know what to believe. Could the things Jenny said really be true? Could she take Hashem and just leave? He might be furious with her at first for rejoining Kadar and for keeping him under that spell, but she knew once she told him she was sorry, that she'd made a mistake, that he would forgive her. That was just his nature. She couldn't deny the guilt that ate at her day in and day out for keeping him in such a state. She didn't know if Vegeta was going to let her walk away from this, but if she didn't bring Bulma out of the void, he would kill her anyway. This was her only chance to save herself and her mate.

"Okay," she said nervously, holding her hands up to show she wasn't going to attack, that she didn't want to fight anymore. She cast a glance at Fasha, who looked murderous. "I'll bring her back. But then you have to let us go."

Enye turned her shoulder towards Jenny and raised her hands a bit higher, speaking in an ancient tongue long since forgotten to the world. A small, black circle began to form in mid-air, a portal between the realms. There was a strange ripping sound that filled the air as it opened wider, taller, forming a long oval that was just big enough for a small person to slip through. Her arms trembled as she held the portal open, sweat trickling down the side of her face, despite the wintry blast of air that spilled from the void.

Bulma fell forward out of the cold void and to the ground. She gasped out in pain, screaming as her cold limbs touched warm air, it felt as if she was being boiled alive. It was a good pain though, after thinking she would be frozen forever, she could stand this.

Jenny's eyes widened when she saw her mother fall from the portal. She looked like a ghost, her skin deathly pale, almost as blue as her hair. Tears had frozen to her cheeks, frosted on her eyelashes. Her lips were white and she just rolled to her side, curling in on herself. True to her word, she withdrew the ice from Hashem, but still kept the shield around the house as she hurried over to her mother's side.

Vegeta rushed to Bulma's side, gingerly picking her up and cradling her to his chest. His arms screamed in protest as her cold body nearly singed his skin. Good gods, how had she survived such a thing? She shivered violently in his arms, her teeth chattering. There was an unnaturally bluish hue to her skin and she looked skinnier than she had been before. "Bulma," he breathed quietly, fighting the knot in his throat as he carefully touched his forehead to hers. He felt like she was going to break in his arms if he held her too tight. "You're safe now."

Enye rushed to Hashem at the same time, pulling his form into her arms. There was a new hope bubbling in her chest. They could go far away, somewhere secluded, just the two of them and live the rest of their lives in peace. She could remove the spell from him once they were safe and everything could finally be the way it was supposed to be for them. To hell with the rest of the world, they could make their own little world for just the two of them. They could be happy, perhaps even try again for children. It would be perfect. She kissed his lips, running her hands through his hair. "I'm going to make it better, Hashem," she promised in a quiet whisper. "You'll see."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Fasha. "Kill her," he snarled.

Fasha's eyes went wide and she growled at Enye who was helping Hasham to stand, "You bitch, you sold us out, you betrayed us ONCE AGAIN!" She held up her hand and focused her attack, glowing a deadly red before she lashed out at them. "Never again!" she shrieked, watching in sheer delight as her power sliced through Hashem and wounded Enye, blood splurting everywhere.

Jenny cursed and dropped her guard, rushing to Enye's side as she collapsed to the ground next to Hashem who had already bled out in seconds, his face still devoid of emotion. Jenny held her hands to the gushing wound and fumbled to get her magick to heal her. She had already spent a great deal trying to prevent them from leaving. "Dammit, Enye! Stay with me, you hear?! Stay with me!"

Fasha smirked wickedly as she felt the shield preventing her escape lift from the house. A flash of white caught her eye and she grinned as she spotted the creepy little girl come out into the room, her eyes locked on Enye.

Antonia's eyes widened in horror as she saw Jenny kneeling over Enye, the blood all over her hands, pooling on the floor. She could feel the life force fading from the orange-haired woman, her pale skin splattered with her own blood. The white-haired man beside her was already dead. Antonia's jaw worked as if she wanted to speak. All she'd ever done was to sing lullabies, she'd never spoken a single word in her life. No one had ever been able to explain why, but in that moment, determination crossed her ghostly little face and she screamed a single word, "MOMMY!"

Fasha grabbed the little girl. "I'd love to stick around for the funeral, but places to go, people to kill," she said almost whimsically before she snapped her fingers and the pair vanished.

Enye's eyes went wide as the little girl's voice echoed in her brain and a million realizations hit her at once, even as her life slipped away. She'd been lied to. From the very beginning, she'd been manipulated and used, told her child was dead when in fact, her daughter was alive and right under her nose. How many of the others had known about it? Even Branwen, the nurse everyone trusted and respected, had been part of the deception. All this time, all the pain, the hurt, the guilt, the loneliness, was all for nothing. Even in this house, she'd been side by side with her own daughter and hadn't even known it. She reached a trembling hand out towards the place where Fasha had disappeared with her daughter. "My baby," she moaned miserably.

She gasped for air, her world quickly growing dark as the blood gushed from her wound. "H-Hashem," she cried weakly, turning her head to look at him, but he was already dead. It was all in vain. Everything she'd done, everything she'd tried to do, for either side, didn't matter now. It was all a waste. She felt Jenny trying to heal her, but in her heart she knew it was too late. "I… I'm s-sorry," she choked out as her eyes grew heavy and her last breath escaped her lips.

Despite everything the woman had done to her and her family, Jenny felt tears stinging at her eyes and she stopped trying to heal her, " I hope you find happiness on the other side with your mate. May the Mother ease your journey." She carefully arranged their bodies, slipping their hands into each other's.

Goku came over, sparing a glance at the bodies before he hurried to drop next to Vegeta as he looked at Bulma, "Shoot, you still look like an ice cube! We should take her somewhere warm."

Vegeta was furious at Fasha's escape, but Bulma's health was far more pressing at the moment. He didn't want to do it, but if anyone could make sure that Bulma was safe from whatever spells may have been cast on her, it was the old woman. "Take us to Arthusia's," Vegeta said. "She can undo anything they might have done to her." He carefully got to his feet, holding his wife close, and nudged Jenny to stand. "Tora!" he barked. "Get over here."

The taller Saiyan seemed frozen to the spot, but he blinked and shook his head when Vegeta spoke his name. He grabbed onto Goku's shoulder with his non-bloodied hand, casting one last glance at Enye's and Hashem's bodies. He didn't know what to think, what to feel. He'd always felt a bit sorry for Hashem, the way his mind wasn't his own, how he was controlled by his mate. He supposed he would never know Enye's reasons for doing what she did to him, but it was obvious that she loved him. She was just confused, misguided, doing all the wrong things for the right reasons.

Goku watched as Jenny stood up, looking at her hands still covered in Enye's blood. Perhaps it wasn't fair, but now in his eyes, Enye had paid for what she had done to them, she was square with them if they ever got the chance to meet again. He wondered briefly, hoping that she would have peace with her mate in the afterlife. He walked over and linked his arm with Jenny who grasped her father. When Tora grasped his other arm, he teleported them away.

Bulma blinked as she looked around at the change of venue, her body still shivered terribly from cold, but she could feel Vegeta there with her. "I love you," she gasped, over and over. She had promised herself that when she got out to make sure he never forgot that. She turned her head into his warm chest. His body was almost burning hot after her time in the cold shadow world.

Jenny stumbled away from them, conjuring water to run over her hands as she washed away Enye's blood, watching with tired eyes as it vanished into the grass.

"Shh," Vegeta hushed his mate, leaning into her cold hair, nuzzling against her ear for a moment. "And I love you." He drew a deep breath and looked up at the huge Victorian house before him before he marched up the steps and knocked on the door with his boot. "Arthusia!" he bellowed. "Open up!" He looked at his wife in his arms, a small smile pulling at his lips, "I think we need some of that soup."


	14. Feel My Heat

Gramma jumped when she heard Vegeta's voice outside her door. She'd been sitting in her favorite winged chair, her feet propped up, reading over a book and enjoying a clove cigarette. She got up and went to the door, snickering as she shook her head. "I never lock it," she said to him, but her smile faded when she saw the nearly frozen woman in his arms. "Bulma," she breathed, casting her book aside. "Oh dear, she's nearly frozen."

Vegeta still cradled her to his chest, staring into her eyes. He barely dared to believe that this was real, that she was back in his arms, alive. He'd never experienced such fear and loneliness in his life as he had the past two weeks and that was saying something, considering the life the prince had lived before he came to earth.

Gramma's mind was racing. "We're going to treat this like hypothermia," she stated, trying to maintain her calm demeanor as she ushered them all into the house. "Jenny, get some soup going. Goku, grab some extra blankets out of the linen closet down the hallway there. Vegeta, take her upstairs to the spare bedroom." She paused and blinked up at the tall Saiyan she didn't recognize. "You… you go with Jenny and help her in the kitchen."

Without hesitation, Vegeta followed her instructions and hurried up the stairs with Gramma in tow. Even though he'd only been in her house once before, his feet seemed to remember the way to the peaceful bedroom he'd slept in before. He remembered that bed, how it seemed to chase away all worries from his mind; it was exactly what Bulma needed.

Goku ran to the linen closet as Jenny dashed into the kitchen, dragging Tora with her before a whole chorus of pots and pans clinking together ensued. He pulled out all the blankets he could find, some of the warmest and fuzziest he had ever felt. He paused only a second, remembering what Tien said the best way to treat hypothermia was. He'd been given a crash course, he had to learn since they lived in the coldest part of the country and Sabriena had fallen into water before in the dead of winter. Striping down, skin to skin contact was the best way to warm the body. It had to be gradual so the person affected wouldn't go into shock. He shook his head and gathered the blankets, hurrying up the stairs, pausing outside of the spare bedroom to shut his eyes tight. "I have the blankets!" he announced.

"Just a moment!" Gramma called back, helping Bulma undress as Vegeta unashamedly stripped himself of his clothing. Gramma yanked back the blankets and helped Bulma into the soft, warm bed. Vegeta climbed in after her and pulled her to his chest, moving her arms to wrap around his back. His skin screamed in protest at the cold, but he clung to her, trying to keep her from shivering. Gramma covered them both, tucking the blankets around them. "Just hold her. We'll get her in a warm bath soon, but we have to let her warm up gradually first."

Vegeta nodded and leaned his forehead against Bulma's. The coldness in his mark was finally starting to ebb. "You're safe now," he whispered to her. "My queen, we're together again."

"Bring me those blankets now!" Gramma called to Goku.

Goku fumbled with the door knob, keeping his eyes closed, feeling the woman taking the blankets from him.

Bulma felt the sharp pinpricks all over her body, in her legs, toes, arms fingers. It was so painful, so painful, but worth it. She just clung to her prince, daring to open her eyes as she looked at him, finally together. She never ever wanted to be cold again and she couldn't get warm fast enough. She forced her limbs to bend, to curl around Vegeta's warm body. She closed her eyes and tucked her head under his chin, shivering violently. "Thank you," she breathed, "Make it go away. No more cold. No more."

Gramma had to chuckle at Goku. "They're covered, dear. You're safe." She carefully unfolded the blankets and piled them on the bed, one by one. Her heart sighed as she felt the emotions between Vegeta and Bulma. He felt safe, protective, loving. She felt relieved, still frightened, but grateful to be out of that place.

"It'll stop soon," Vegeta promised. A smirk played across his lips as he looked at her. She was so strong to have survived that. He wasn't sure what to expect when they got her home, whether she'd be different. Damaged. But no. All she wanted was to hold onto him and make the cold go away. He pressed his lips to hers, his heart soaring despite how cold her kiss was. He didn't care that Arthusia and Goku were in the room. All that mattered in that moment was his wife.

Gramma placed the last blanket over them. "I'll be back to check on you in a bit," she promised and linked her arm with Goku's, leading him out of the room.

Bulma barely heard the door close as the other two left them. Her lips were so cold, they tingled as Vegeta kissed her. She weakly smiled up at him as they parted, the weight of the blankets on them making her feel grounded, secure. She was held and in a safe place. No one could get her here, take her away. "Our home… I was… in... our home when they got me. Is it… is it safe again?" she asked through chattering teeth. She couldn't stop another shiver through her body and she moved a leg between his, trying to get warm again. She tucked her arms between them, pressing up against his chest.

"It will be soon," he answered. "Jennifer, Catherine and the other girls are going to bless it." He rubbed at her back, slowly, not wanting to jar her or hurt her. He hated the way she shivered so violently. "Enye's gone now," he said softly. "She won't be bothering us again. No more of her tricks or her lies. Fasha's alone now. She won't be brave or stupid enough to try anything on her own." He hugged her a little tighter, fighting the tears of joy that sprang to his eyes. He'd never cried out of happiness. The sensation was strange to him and he fought it. "When you're thawed out a bit, we'll take a long, hot bath together. That sound good?"

Bulma nodded, trying to offer him a weak smile. "Gods Vegeta, I'm so tired. The past two weeks made me feel like all of my energy is gone. Anything that was left of me was trying to stay alive, find what warmth that I could from your mark. I almost gave up, but then you appeared and I knew I had to hang on." She reached up with a trembling hand, touching icy cold fingers to his cheek. "You… you said we could go someplace warm?" She shivered again. "I'm not sure if the center of a volcano would be warm enough. I think I could just crawl into the hot tub for a few months." She sighed, unable to hold her hand up any more, exhaustion starting to creep up on her. "I want to go somewhere so hot, I can't stand to wear clothes."

"Sounds like a plan to me," he chuckled softly. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes, hear the way her voice started to grow softer. He ran his fingers through her hair, it was cold and damp, flecks of ice still clinging to it. "Sleep, my queen. Your strength will return. Rest now." He smiled as he watched her drift off to sleep in his arms. He was tired, too, but he refused to sleep. Not until she was warm and healthy again. He gently covered her mark with his mouth, inhaling through his nose, exhaling slow hot breaths through his mouth, his hands trailing up and down her back, trying to chase the cold away. 'Arthusia better have a big bathtub,' he thought to himself. He couldn't wait until Bulma was warmed up enough and he could set her in the hot water and let the warmth soak into her.

* * *

Gramma paused in the doorway to her kitchen, her arm still linked with Goku's as she watched Jenny prepare the soup. It warmed her heart to see the young woman so focused as she worked, blessing the ingredients, following the instructions laid out before her in the old magickal recipe book. "You know," she said, drawing Jenny's and Tora's attention, "I still think kitchen witchery is one of the strongest forms of magick."

Tora frowned down at the small gold-skinned potatoes Jenny had asked him to slice. This was magick? But it seemed so mundane to him. Still, he couldn't deny that the atmosphere of this house held something indescribable to it. It felt ancient and earthy, stable and ethereal all at the same time. He returned to slicing the potatoes, but the tiny spuds felt awkward in his big hands and the knife kept slipping, nearly cutting his fingertips.

Gramma tipped her head to the side, sizing up the big man in her kitchen. It was immediately obvious to her that he was a Saiyan; the tail protruding from the back of his jeans was a dead giveaway. "Good Goddess, is there some unwritten rule that all Saiyans just look like pure sex?" she asked. She looked at Goku expectantly. "So what's this one's name and where did he come from?"

He chuckled, "His name is Tora. He joined us after the war. He saved my life after I was injured in battle and my face was nearly ripped off." He looked at the older Saiyan. "He was on the Atlanteans' side, helping them look for that book they wanted so badly. He knew my father. We are glad you joined us Tora, it's been fun hearing stories about my parents from you. And the support you gave me during the whole Tien and Sabriena thing."

"Ah, no big deal," Tora shrugged. He glanced at the old woman out of the corner of his eye, not knowing what to think of her. She seemed to command respect and there was a strange look in her eyes as she stared at him.

"Hmm," Gramma said thoughtfully as she finally let go of Goku's arm and walked to the other Saiyan. "Well? Come here. Let me take a look at you."

Tora blinked and set the knife down on the counter, casting a questioning look at Goku and Jenny. He felt a bit uncomfortable as she circled around him, a hand to her chin, sizing him up. He couldn't help but think it was rather ridiculous; he'd never been intimidated by an old woman before.

This man was interesting, to say the least. Gramma could feel his emotions, just the same as she could with anyone else. He was proud and confident, yet there was an eagerness to prove himself to this new bunch of people he found himself surrounded by. He had a thirst for knowledge, too. But there was also guilt, a deep seated guilt and she couldn't help but wonder what that was about. And doubt, as though he didn't quite trust himself. But he had a good heart underneath it all and Gramma finally gave an approving nod. "He's alright," she finally said and went to the table, picking up her pack of cigarettes. She turned and blinked at him, "Well? Get back to those potatoes."

Jenny laughed at Tora's look. "You get used to it," she said simply as she chopped up the onions, "And I seem to remember you wanting to learn more about the magick we did at Tien's cabin. If you want to learn, she's the one you better be looking to ask your questions to. No one is better at it."

Goku found himself nodding and moving to sit on the floor next to Gramma, looking up at her and breathing in the wonderful scent of cloves from her cigarettes. He felt so wonderful in that house, in her presence. There was only one place he loved to be more.

Gramma smiled down at him, knowing what he wanted and threaded her fingers into his hair. "Spoiled," she teased as he leaned into her touch and began to purr again. She snickered and shook her head before her expression went thoughtful. "Now what was this book you mentioned?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Goku shrugged, "They weren't able to find it before we were able to start the war. Just some magick book, I think they said the Atlantian's wanted," He looked up at Tora, "Do you know more about it?"

"Damn potatoes," Tora growled as he tried to slice another one and it shot across the counter. He set the knife down and turned around, "What? Oh, that book. Yeah," he said, thinking back, trying to remember the story. "Something about it was stolen before their city sank into the sea. It was lost centuries ago. They seemed to think it had spells in it that could help them release their goddess. I don't really remember much more of the story than that."

Gramma frowned, wondering if a book like that truly existed. She wasn't sure who this goddess was, but she didn't like the sound of her at all. Especially now that Kaiona had appeared to them. If she could manifest in a seemingly human form on the earth, then what was stopping any of the other gods from doing so? She gave a violent shudder, wondering if she had somehow started something that couldn't be undone. "What was this goddess' name?" she asked.

"Ap… Appy… Hell, I don't remember," Tora answered, spying the sausage Jenny was preparing to dump into the pot and he reached over, grabbing a pinch of the raw meat and popping it into his mouth. The spices burst on his tongue and he moaned appreciatively. "Now that's good."

Jenny finished chopping the onions and turned to show Tora a better way to slice potatoes. She turned her head over at Gramma, "Apollymi. That's the goddess they are trying to bring back. That they were trying to bring back. Seems like most of them who wanted her return are now dead."

"Apollymi," Gramma repeated, trying to jar her memory. She shook her head. "I've never heard of her before." She chewed her lip for a moment but finally sat back with a sigh. "I don't know. You kids are going to be the death of this old woman, making me think so hard all the time. Here I thought I knew everything by now," she chuckled.

Goku chuckled, "Learn something new every day, isn't that what they say?"

* * *

Bulma stirred from her sleep. She was surprised she could sleep at all with the cold seeped into her so thoroughly. Thankfully, the normal darkness of sleep was not there and she could only remember warm sunlight w. Her fingers and toes were tingling, her hair was damp and chilled, but she didn't feel like death frozen over any more. She still felt incredibly exhausted and nuzzled into the warmth of her mate's arms, sighing when she felt his hot mouth covering her mark. Nothing sexual about this action, he was just trying to warm her, trying to feel close again. This was good.

Gramma knocked softly and entered the bedroom again, going over to the couple on the bed. She gently touched Vegeta's shoulder, "Does she seem to be warming up?"

Vegeta gave a nod, never looking at the old woman. He was far more concerned with trying to warm his mate, breathing over her mark, when she moved against him. He pulled back and looked at her, his hand moving to cup her cold cheek. She blinked her eyes open and he smiled.

"Oh good," Gramma breathed. "I'll get a hot bath going across the hall for you. That ought to make you feel better."

Vegeta kissed his mate again as the old woman left the room. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked softly.

She nodded, trying her voice, "Yes... thank goodness. I thought I had frozen solid for sure." She looked at him, staring into his eyes as she had told herself she would if she ever made it out of that place. Vegeta was her safe zone. The only safe zone, "I knew you would come for me," She said as she heard the pipes in the house groan as the bath was started. "I'm just so tired... chilled... I don't want to move... but my hair is driving me nuts... I must look a mess," she chuckled.

Vegeta shook his head. "You look amazing," he answered honestly. Truth be told, he couldn't remember a time when she was more beautiful to him. He nuzzled into her neck, covering her mark once again. He was so relieved; his own mark was now only slightly cool. He couldn't wait for it to return to normal, for it to be warm and comforting once more. He heard the water stop running and he climbed out of bed, scooping Bulma into his arms, and carried her across the hall to the bathroom. Oh thank the gods. There was a large, claw-foot bathtub filled nearly to the brim with steaming water that smelled of lavender, peppermint, and rosemary. Vegeta inhaled deeply through his nose, his whole being seeming to relax. He stepped carefully into the hot water and sat down, lowering Bulma to sit in front of him. Good gods, that hot water felt good.

Bulma couldn't stop the hiss as her cool body met the hot water, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. "Oh gods, that feels wonderful," she murmured. It smelled amazing, she wondered if she could get these scents, oils, whatever they were to take home. She was going to soak for a month. Bulma scooted forward, enough to lean her head back, dipping her chilled hair into the water, sighing in sheer relief as her scalp finally felt warm. She clutched at Vegeta as she almost lost her balance and scooted back into his embrace, letting herself be held. The steam from the hot water curled up and around her, sinking in to replace the cold.

"There's my queen," Vegeta purred against the side of her neck. He ran his palms over her upper arms, pulling the water up to run back down over her skin. He reclined in the tub, pulling her back against his chest as he cupped more and more water, letting it cascade over her. "I will never let you out of my sight again," Vegeta said softly. "I feel as though I have failed you. This should never have happened in the first place."

Bulma thought she would be lulled back to sleep the way Vegeta was tending her body, blinking only at his words and turning her head to look at him, "My prince, you didn't fail me. There was no way we could have foreseen what was going to happen. Even if you had been in our room, I would have disappeared before your eyes." She shook her head, leaning back, "You saved me, Vegeta. You did. You did wonderful." She picked up one of his strong hands, kissing at the palm.

Vegeta's eyes fell shut as she kissed his hand. "Bulma," he breathed, turning her suddenly in his arms, pulling her chest against his, and he smothered her mouth with his own. He slid down the back of the tub until his head was resting on the edge of it, and he adjusted her in his arms so that her head was resting on his chest. He wrapped his tail around her waist, pulling her closer. He ran his hand up and down her back, just relishing the feel of her in his arms, her body against his. "I think I could stay like this forever." Vegeta wasn't used to being this affectionate. But in that moment, he didn't care. All that mattered to him was making sure Bulma knew how much she meant to him.

Vegeta purred into her neck, his strong hands running over her body in the warm water. His mark was warm once again. His body was responding to hers, her curves against his chest. Dammit, not now. She was exhausted, she'd nearly frozen to death. There was no way she'd be in the mood. Not here, in this strange house. He shifted, his erection poking her hip. "Sorry," Vegeta breathed. "I can't help it. I've missed you so much."

Bulma couldn't stop the shiver that went through her body as her husband's flesh nudged her hip. She smiled tiredly at him, "Don't apologize," She realized how cold she really was and the hot bath water could only reach so far. "Please, can we?" She moved herself so she was facing him, sinking back into the hot water, feeling the hotness between her legs. "Thaw me from the inside out," she said, sinking deeper into the water, wrapping her arms around him and leaning forward, kissing at his neck.

Vegeta grabbed the backs of her thighs, lifting her slightly and slowly lowered her over his hard, aching flesh. Oh gods. Had it only been a couple weeks since they'd been together? It felt like an eternity. He pressed up into her, moaning lightly in her ear. She was so tight on his cock, his hot length piercing her core. His hands went to her breasts, pinching and teasing her hard nipples. He leaned his face forward, closing his mouth hotly around one of the sensitive nubs, working it between his teeth and his tongue. This was heaven, being reunited with her like this once again.

Bulma couldn't stop herself from clenching at his hard flesh, it was so perfect. So hot like it was on fire, reaching right to her core and searing her from the inside out. "Mmmmm. Gods, yes Vegeta," she purred as she lifted her hands and slid them into his hair, cupping his head to her breasts. She just sat there for a moment, enjoying the deep connection between them, his throbbing length inside of her. Gods that was erotic in its own right, she could barely remember the last time he had been this gentle, this affectionate. She leaned down, her lips grazing his ear. "Vegeta... please... I'm cold in my backside... please," she begged, reaching down and catching his tail, slippery and hot from the water. gods that would feel amazing inside of her and she really would be warm again.

Vegeta gave a soft smirk, his tail snaking up the back of her thigh, caressing the crease between her cheeks. The tip of his tail wriggled against the tight ring of muscle, slowly working it open until his tail slipped inside her. Vegeta's eyes rolled in his head, a groan issuing from his throat. His cock twitched within her as he felt his own tail moving inside her. He grabbed her hips, moving her over him, his mouth falling open at the sensation. He pressed his face into the valley between her breasts, kissing at her breastbone. "Bulma," he breathed again, his panting turning to a wanton moan as he thrust his hips up to meet hers.

Bulma moaned softly, catching Vegeta's as she kissed him passionately, slipping her tongue inside of him, so hot, he was so hot. Now she was starting to feel as if she was on fire. It felt wonderful and she had to have more. She rocked her hips on him, loving the feeling of him deep inside of her, claiming her and reclaiming her. She would never be cold again. She felt held, cherished and safe like this. The thick cock swelling inside of her, she shivered in anticipation of being filled with scalding hot cum from her prince. "Oh gods, Vegeta... I missed you so."

Vegeta slid one hand up her back and tangled his fingers in her hair. "I missed you as well," he answered. He pulled her down harder, the water sloshing in the tub, the sounds echoing off the tiled walls. He quickened their pace, his need for release building. She was so hot on him now, his mark burned deliciously. He pulled her face to his neck, latching onto her mark at the same time, sucking it, his teeth grazing over it. A wave of gold flashed over his hair. Oh gods, his control was slipping.

Bulma was shrieking with delight as Vegeta changed, growing larger within her, stretching her to the brink and sending a wonderful burn through her. "Gods yes, Vegeta... you are so hot... so hot." She nibbled harshly on his mark, drinking in the heat from him. "Please... don't make me wait another moment for you... I want you... I want your hot cum in me... burning away the cold forever."

Vegeta's hair finally flashed to gold and stayed that way, his black eyes turning that pale, sea foam green, his cock swelling within his mate. He wriggled his tail deeper into her as he drove his cock into her fiery heat. Water slopped over the sides of the tub, their voices filling the small room with Bulma's high pitched cries, Vegeta's low, rumbling groans. He panted through clenched teeth, "Come with me. Come with me!" His cock swelled even further for just a moment before he came, the hot liquid pumping deeply into Bulma's core, more and more of it pouring from his body as he roared out his pleasure.

Bulma lost it, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she felt Vegeta fill her up, hot come splashing into her, becoming an inferno that didn't end. She came around him, clenching on his length and his tail, holding them close, rocking on them as she came and came. Heat became her world, sweltering and all she wanted was more and more. She finally spent herself, collapsing into his arms, "Oh... oh my prince... let's never go another hour without that."

He chuckled and held her close, his chest rising and falling heavily as he breathed. "Whatever you wish," he answered and kissed her cheekbone. He relaxed back against the tub again, holding her to him, their bodies still joined. "Are you warm now?" he asked and smiled as she nodded. "Good."

* * *

Jenny stopped stirring the soup as she suddenly felt Vegeta's power level sky rocket, the telltale sign of going super Saiyan. However, with no danger around and the constant groaning of the floor upstairs, the slight squeak as the tub moved against the tile. Her face went red and she slapped her face. "Guess Mom and Dad are feeling better," she deadpanned.

Gramma was happily tidying up the kitchen, humming a little tune as she washed the dishes used to prepare their lunch. "Goku, set the table, please. I imagine they're going to be hungry after all that," she said. She turned around and saw how red Goku's face was. Jenny's was even more red. "Oh you two, stop it," Gramma scolded in an amused tone. She paused and looked up at the ceiling. "Mmmm, that Bulma is one lucky woman."

Tora scrubbed at his face, trying to ignore the sounds from upstairs, the energies he felt. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't sense energies," he muttered and went to the table to sit down. "Yeah, you two are embarrassed now. Imagine feeling that around the house all the damn time. Catie and Trunks are no better." He huffed, "I gotta get my own place."

Bulma felt better than she had the entire month, dressing in the warmest clothes Gramma loaned her, She looked more in tune with nature with the skirt and the blouse. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and followed Vegeta down into the kitchen.

Goku let the blush fade away as he saw Bulma as he continued to set the table for dinner, "Hey! There you are! You are looking not frozen anymore!" He smiled at her as Vegeta even scooted her seat out for her so she could sit down, "It's good to have you back."

Bulma smiled warmly at him, "It's good to be back. Thank you. All of you for saving me. I knew you would come get me."

Vegeta helped Bulma scoot her chair a little closer to the table as Gramma brought over two bowls of the soup and placed them on the table.

Gramma knew she shouldn't. She really, REALLY shouldn't. But she couldn't help herself.

Vegeta's eyes went wide and he yelped, jumping and turning towards the old woman, rubbing at his backside. "What the devil has gotten into you, you crazy old crone?!"

Gramma smirked at him, looking exceptionally pleased with herself. "I've been waiting forever to do that," she said and went back to her stove as Vegeta stammered incoherently as he stared at her. "Good lord, you could bounce a quarter off that man's ass," Gramma muttered as she stirred the soup again.

Bulma blinked a moment, looking to Vegeta and then back to Gramma, hearing her remark and she tilted her head back and laughed, rich and bright, "Yes. Yes you can." She couldn't stop the grin on her face as she looked at her husband, stealing a glance of her own at the Saiyans' firm backside, licking her lips at the sight.

Jenny was drug a hand down her face, rubbing at the blush there, "I should have stayed home. Should have stayed home."

Goku leaned back in his chair, looking over Vegeta's rump as well, "Tien's is better..."

Vegeta growled, his face turning a burning red and he plunked himself down into the chair next to Bulma. "Eat fast, I want to go home and get away from these lunatics," Vegeta muttered as Tora roared with laughter. He scowled across the table at Goku. "Compare me to Triclops again and you will regret it."

"Fine," Gramma said as she served bowls of soup to Jenny, Tora, and Goku. "I'll be the judge." She leaned closer to Goku, "But you'll have to bring your husband here so I can pinch his bum, too."

Jenny just shook her head as Goku nodded, saying something about making Tien blush, "STOP. I do not want to hear about who has the better bum. We all know Piccolo wins that contest." She said with a smirk, burying her face into her soup bowl and snickered.

Bulma shook her head; yes, it was good to be back home. The soup was like nothing she could describe. She hadn't eaten in a month and this was like manna from the gods themselves. She stealthily reached down and pinched Vegeta's bum, shivering at how taut it was. She knew her man was the best on the planet.


	15. Epilogue

Bulma leaned back in the hot tub, watching the festivities around the backyard. Plenty of good food, friends and family all there celebrating her return. She sank deeply into the water until only her head was left above the water.

Goku laughed as he ran around with the kids, casing Zip and Dog around the yard. Tien had made a little leather strap to hook around the dog so that the little falcon could have at it flapping his still fluff covered wings. The place felt amazing, almost as good as it did at the cabin. It was going to be a long process, but over the next could of weeks, the girls said they would be going around and blessing the homes of the rest of their large family.

Lindsey leaned heavily against Jenny, still a little tired from casting their spell the night before. "Why didn't we do this as soon as Sabriena disappeared?" she asked, "We could've saved everyone a lot of headache."

"Ah, where's the adventure in that?" Catie chimed in. "If everyone's safe all the time, things get boring!" She cringed at the look Jenny gave her and suddenly took an interest in the clouds overhead, whistling to herself.

"Screw you and your adventure," Sabriena grumbled. "I think we've all had enough of that over the past few months. We need a damn break."

Jenny fluffed Lindsey's red hair, "Because we needed Sabriena to be part of the spell. She's light. Gramma says that's how they were able to turn Bulma into shadows. It takes all five of us to do the spell correctly, to feel safe again." She sighed happily, "No one is going to hurt us again. I swear it."

"Aaaaaaand you just jinxed it," Lindsey said dramatically. "We're all doomed."

* * *

**Sometime in the near future:**

Rose Delacour sighed as she sorted through the mountains of paperwork on her desk. Her office was sadly understaffed and the cases just seemed to keep piling up. Yet another long, lonely weekend of working from her home loomed ahead. She didn't mind it too much, at least it gave her something to do. On the rare day she didn't have to work, she usually spent her time around her apartment thinking about work anyway, watching old movies and ordering take-out.

"Not now," she muttered under her breath as she heard a knock at the door, but she looked up, fixing a slight smile on her face and politely said, "Come in." She fought the urge to sigh as her supervisor laid a new file on top of the pile before her. "What's this?"

Mary sighed and rubbed her eyes, stretching her back. She was getting too old this line of work. She pushed her spectacles up her nose and peered down at Rose. "Your hair is going to be as gray as mine if you keep your hours the way you do. You need to get out there more, enjoy life, or this will start dragging you down." She sighed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it carefully before she took a long drag on it. "This new case just came in a little while ago. So work that magic you do and see what you can dig up."

Rose picked up the file and flipped it open, scanning over the report. Same thing she was used to seeing over and over again. "Sure thing," she said pleasantly. "I'll get right on it." She tried not to make a face at the stench of the cigarette smoke filling her office. She ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair, reading the details again.

Mary winced and walked over to the window and cracked it, blowing her smoke out into the air. "Sorry about that kid," she sighed. "You know, you gotta start working on that backbone."

Rose shook her head. "It's fine," she said. She had enough backbone to get her job done, she just selectively chose her battles. Nagging at Mary over a little cigarette smoke wasn't worth it. She took her glasses off and rubbed at her eyes for a moment before she slid them back onto her face and blinked at the surname on the file. Well, at least this was someone new and not one of the others she'd seen time and time again. "Son. That's a new one. Heard of them before?" she asked.

Mary shrugged, "Doesn't ring a bell." She waved her hand off. "Seem to be okay, but you never know what's lurking in the shadows. There's something not right about this one. Play it safe as always, and give me a call if you run into anyone who needs their balls busted."

"Yup," Rose answered, gathering up the files she was working on and glancing at the clock. She should've gone home two hours ago. "I'll get on this one first thing in the morning. They never expect it on a Saturday." She cradled the files to her chest, nearly dropping some of them and she had to lift her knee to keep them from falling to the floor. "Oh! Oh! Darn it," she grumbled, nearly tripping as she lost her balance.

Mary chuckled, honestly. Rose was really a breath of fresh air in this office. She got the job done, although she was a bit of a klutz at times. She leaned down and helped her pick up her papers. "Try to remember, kid, you are just one person. There's only so much you can do, only so many you can save. You know we have counselors available, if you know, it gets too hard. You shouldn't lose sleep because of your job."

Rose took the dropped papers back from Mary and fixed her with a serious stare. "No," she said, "I can't sleep until my work's done. What I do is too important. And I'm not going to stop until I've saved every single one that I possibly can."

* * *

**Final Author's Note: **So this story ended up being quite a bit shorter than the others did, but we're still happy with it.

**JC 87 – "**I'd like our fellow Chichi lovers to know I'm working on surprise art for them between Chichi and her future lover. but he lover will be shaded out until after the big reveal." You can find this piece of artwork, and other artworks based on this series, by searching for her on deviantart. Her screen name there is Nemuri-Tonbo.

The next story will be started in a few days and will be called "Together Again." The title was inspired by the Evanescence song by the same title. Look it up on youtube, I think it's appropriate for what we have planned. It will be a much longer story, like Unpretty, Path of War, and Trinity. And the little excerpt at the end of this chapter is sort of a teaser for the upcoming story.


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